Just Friends
by nightowl880
Summary: Lucy is in love with Natsu, but she knows it's impossible for them to be together. After all, Natsu only sees her as a friend. Right? Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic! Hopefully, it doesn't absolutely suck. If my characters are kinda OOC, I'm really sorry. Please give me suggestions how they could be better instead of just saying they're awful, though. I want constructive criticism, not plain old criticism. Review and all that jazz – I want your opinions!**

**I don't have any rights to any of the characters or to Fairy Tail. **

"God, I'm exhausted!" I sighed, stretching my hands over my head. "That job was crazy." Natsu flopped on my bed, grinning.

"Didn't it get you fired up?" I laughed incredulously.

"Sure, if it gets you fired up running from cursed boulders all over a deserted island." Natsu sat up and put his hands on his ankles, the soles of his feet pressed together. I sat at my desk, taking in my room. No matter how many times I saw it, I loved it just as much as the first time. The bed, the chair, the coffee table, the armchair, the cute little desk... All of it was mine, and the best part was, I had earned the money for all of it.

"What was your favorite part, Happy?" Natsu asked the little blue Exceed. Happy flew around the ceiling, grinning.

"The fish!"

"Is that all you think about?" I asked him, fiddling with a pen on my desk.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu laughed, and after a second I joined him. The pink-haired dragon slayer was crazy, not very smart, and way too violent for his own good, but he was loyal, and sweet, and caring... And he was the one I loved. Not that you could tell. I was very careful about how I acted around Natsu. He was too dense to ever guess it on his own, but my fellow guild-mates at Fairy Tail weren't, and they would meddle for sure. I was content just being Natsu's job partner. We were good friends. It was fine.

I let my hair down, untying my ribbon, and stood up, stretching again. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. You can go ahead home, or back to the guild. I'll see you tomorrow." Natsu stretched too, yawning.

"Nah, it's cool. I was planning on sleeping here anyway. It's getting dark, and I don't feel like going home. Anyway, we don't have any food at home, so I'm going to raid your kitchen." I sighed, putting my hands on my hips.

"Natsu, you really should go home. If you don't have any food, go out and buy some with the job money. And you _know _I hate it when you sleep in my bed with me." Actually, that was a lie. I loved it when Natsu slept over, which was a problem. Restraint was difficult, especially when he was so close and vulnerable. Natsu rarely let his guard down, but when he slept he was wide open... And so, so adorable. So I tried to avoid temptation as much as possible.

My protest was in vain. He was already asleep. I stomped over to the bed to wake him up, but when I got there, his face was so peaceful that I couldn't. So I stomped in the direction of the bathroom instead, vowing to take an hour-long shower and work on my novel in the kitchen until morning. I could sleep when Natsu was gone.

"Lucy, where are you going?" Happy called.

"The bathroom!" I tossed over my shoulder. "If you need something, I'll be out in an hour." I slammed the door slightly harder than necessary and flinched at the noise. The snoring in the other room continued. Sighing, I stripped and stepped into the shower.

More than an hour later, I got out of the shower. I would've stayed in longer, but the water had gotten freezing and I was starving. It was strangely quiet without the water running. Humming, I grabbed my towel and dried off. I squeezed the water out of my hair over the shower, trying not to drip on the floor.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. "Lucy?" Natsu's familiar voice called.

So he woke up. That was why it had seemed so quiet – the snoring had stopped. "Yeah?" I called back absentmindedly, wrapping the towel around my hair to dry it more thoroughly. I realized I'd forgotten to turn on the fan and hit the switch. It came with a loud whirring sound and filled the room with noise. Natsu said something through the door, but I couldn't hear. "Speak up, Natsu!" There was a clicking sound.

"I said, what's for... Um..." His voice was really clear suddenly, like he was standing right next to me. I turned, confused, and saw Natsu's head poking past the open door, his face totally red to the roots of his hair. "Um..." I shrieked and threw the towel at him, pulling the shower curtain around me.

"Natsu, you pervert! I didn't say to open the damn door!" He backed up, stammering an apology, then turned tail and ran back into the bedroom. I grabbed for the doorknob and yanked it shut, throwing the lock for good measure. Letting go of the shower curtain, I leaned back against the door with a sigh. I stared blankly at the ceiling. _Natsu saw me naked... Natsu saw me, totally naked, with nothing covering me at all... Natsu saw... _Somewhere in the back of mind, I knew I should be getting dressed, going out and yelling at Natsu for being such an idiot, pretending it wasn't as big a deal as it actually was... I had so many things to do to fit the image I was projecting, but all I could think was that Natsu saw _everything..._ I covered my face with my hands and slid down the door to sit on the cold floor. Goosebumps broke out all over my skin, but I just sat there with my face in my hands, trying not to cry. I bit my lip, hard, hoping the pain would distract me. It didn't work. I let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. I sounded like a drowning cat trying to cough up a hair-ball.

"Lucy?" Happy's quiet voice asked on the other side of the door. "Are you alright? Did Natsu do anything weird to you?" I took a deep breath, praying my voice wouldn't waver.

"No, I– I'm okay." It was worse. My voice cracked on the last word, making me even more pathetic. Happy didn't say anything for a minute.

"Do you want some fish?" I managed to laugh for real at that, smiling at the thought of Happy sharing his precious fish with me.

"No thanks, Happy. I'm fine, really. Just...tired." As I said it, I realized it was true. I was drained, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep until tomorrow afternoon. I needed a nap.

"Okay. Well, I think Natsu feels really bad about barging in on you, so if he apologizes, hear him out, okay?" I smiled. Happy was such a good friend sometimes.

"Yeah, sure." I heard Happy turn to go, and said suddenly, "Thanks, Happy. I mean it."

"Sure thing!" he replied cheerfully. "We're friends, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he padded off into the bedroom. I sighed, pulling myself to my feet and picking up my clothes. That's right. We were friends. And as Natsu's friend, I needed to go out there and smack him around for doing stupid stuff.

When I was dressed, I mustered up all my rage and irritation and stormed out of the bathroom. "Natsu!" I shouted, snatching my whip off my desk and prowling towards him. He was lying on my bed again, whispering with Happy, but he sat bolt upright when he saw me.

"Lucy!" he exclaimed. Just as I was about to hit him, he put his hands together and bent down low in a sitting bow. "I'm really, really, really sorry! I wasn't thinking! Please forgive me!" I stood, frozen, staring at the pink-haired idiot in front of me. It was very un-Natsu-like. Finally, I lowered the whip with a sigh.

"Yeah, alright." Natsu jumped off the bed in excitement, but I kept talking. "But on two conditions." Natsu nodded enthusiastically. "One: you will never open my bathroom door like that again. Okay?" He nodded again. "Two: you're sleeping at home tonight. Not here. And I'm not feeding you. Go out and buy your own food." Natsu started to nod a third time, then stopped, frowning.

"But you said I could stay here." I rolled my eyes.

"You fell asleep before I could say no. Those are my conditions. I'm tired, and I want to sleep in my own bed tonight, okay?" Natsu shrugged.

"It's not like there isn't enough room on your bed for two people, Luce." He laid back on the covers, crossing his arms behind his head.

"And a cat!" Happy added. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I can't just sleep with you, Natsu. It's not good for my–" I bit down on the end of that sentence. I'd been about to say it wasn't good for my heart, which was a _bad _answer. Even Natsu wasn't that stupid. "It's not good for my sleep," I said eventually. "When you were sleeping one time, you punched me in the jaw." Which was true – once, at the guild, I'd gotten a little too close to Natsu, and he hit me in his sleep. Natsu just laughed, a little tongue of flame visible in the back of his throat.

"Dragon slayers are the best!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted. Everything blurred in front of me, and I put a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes. Fatigue was really starting to catch up to me, and I wanted to fall asleep so badly... But first, I had to get rid of Natsu and Happy.

"Look, please just... Just go home... Okay..." My legs felt funny, and I slid to my knees, trying not hit anything. _Let me stay awake... I need to stay awake... _I tried to open my eyes, but my lids felt like lead. I slumped all the way over, placing my head on the cool floor.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. I could hear him scrambling off the bed and crossing the few feet between us, and then he was picking me up, laying me down on the bed, pulling the blanket over me. Just as I was finally drifting to sleep, something soft and warm brushed my forehead. I smiled and turned over, letting sleep pull me under.

**The kitchen might not exist. If it really bothers anyone, I can edit that part. Ditto for the lack of indents – it won't let me use tab! I'm sorry! Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so sorry! I get bored with Helvetica when I type, so I like to choose random fonts and I forgot to fix it! Sorry!**

**Um, this is dedicated to RosesAndRavens, for being awesome and the first commenter. Special thanks to WhiteWinterStar, Kyomo Saki, and gwb620. I love all you guys! thanks for your feedback. Oh, I added some Jerza, to be elaborated on next chapter (come on, who doesn't love Jerza?) Review please!**

I awoke to soft afternoon light filtering through my window onto my bed. I lay there for a while, still wrapped in a soft fog of sleepiness. Eventually, it occurred to me that it was really warm under the blankets. Warmer than usual. A sneaking suspicion prompted me to lift the covers to peer underneath.

Natsu was curled next to me, snoring softly and muttering in his sleep. Happy slept on top of Natsu, his snores accompanying the dragon slayer's. Completely awake now, I pushed out of bed before I could do something really stupid. As I was getting up, though, my fingers brushed through Natsu's hair. It was softer than I had always assumed it would be, silky and totally addictive. Before I knew it, I was sliding back into the bed and stroking Natsu's hair like he was a dog. I couldn't help it – I'd been caught off-guard.

"Lucy," Natsu mumbled, and I pulled away like he'd burned me. But then he turned over and laughed hysterically. "Lucy's naked again, Happy!" He's asleep, I thought, with overwhelming relief. But at the same time, my heart gave a twinge of disappointment.

Wait, what? No, no, no...

Natsu waking up when I was being weak like that would be awful. He would know something was up, and that would be the end of our friendship. Not that Natsu would ever ask me to stop being his friend, but the easy closeness between us would become awkward distance, he would go out of his way to avoid being alone with me, and we would grow apart, and that would be unbearable. I would rather stop interacting with him altogether than endure the uncomfortable silences and nervous laughter. So disappointment was out of the question. I didn't want anything between us to change. I had already decided to give up on loving Natsu in the way I did. I was so close to letting him go, I could taste it. And yet...

And yet, I still wished somewhere deep inside that Natsu would find out how I felt. What an idiot. Hating myself, I got out of the bed and padded into the kitchen to make coffee and eat something. Seeing the state of the room, though, I stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway. It was utter chaos. Every pot and pan had been pulled out and lay all over the counters and floor. Cabinet doors hung open, revealing a half-empty pantry. Food covered every available surface, splattering the sink and overflowing the trash can. Horrified, I took a step and landed in something squishy. Looking down, I saw I had put my foot through a tomato. I lifted it with a squelching sound and shuddered, scraping the remnants off the underside of my foot. I picked my way through the kitchen carefully until I reached the table. I sat in a chair, thankful that it had been spared from the mess.

I sighed, surveying my poor kitchen. Natsu must have tried to cook at some point, maybe last night. One thing was for sure – I was going to be cleaning all day. With another sigh, I got out of the chair and started picking up pots and putting them back in their cupboards.

It took me an hour to put the cooking materials back and decide what to salvage from the food graveyard. I would have to go shopping for more food soon, which meant I needed to take another job if I was going to pay rent this month. I tried to get worked up about it, telling myself it was Natsu's fault and that he should take responsibility. But in truth, I was touched. He had tried to make dinner for us, to the point where he nearly destroyed my kitchen. So I didn't mind cleaning it up that much. I hummed along to the familiar, unplaceable tune inside my head and listened to Natsu's rhythmic snores drifting in from the bedroom. It was oddly soothing to know he was so close, and I savored the feeling as long as I could. He would wake up soon enough, and then it would be back to pretending he had no draw whatsoever.

I was too focused to notice when the snores grew softer and something shifted in the other room. I didn't even realize Happy was awake until he slid on the remains of the tomato I'd stepped in earlier and sailed into the backs of my legs. I tripped and dropped the mop and bucket of water I was carrying. Hot, soapy water spilled all over the floor and I landed up to my elbows in the half-full bucket. Standing up and shaking off the water, I saw that Happy had landed underneath the mop and was lying there, trapped. I heaved a sigh and picked up the mop and the confused Exceed, setting Happy on top of the table.

"Well," I mused aloud, "I guess it's not that different from what I was going to do anyway," referring to the water soaking the floor. I leaned over and rolled up the hems of my jeans to my knees so they wouldn't get wet – wetter – and brandished my mop at the drowning food. "Get ready, I'm coming for you!" Happy, by this time sitting up and watching me, laughed.

"Don't be silly, Lucy. Food doesn't care about that." I glared at him and pointed my makeshift weapon at him.

"You, be quiet and don't move. I'm trying to clean this mess up." I deliberately turned my back to him and started scrubbing away at the streak of tomato Happy had left on the floor. Slowly, the water absorbed into the mop's sponge and brought the food remnants (plus some old dirt) with it. Behind me, I could hear Happy munching on something, probably a fish. Natsu's snores grew in volume, then quieted down to a low shh-ing sound. I pushed my mop to the rhythm as they got louder again.

Just as I was nearly done with the floor and beginning to plan what I would need to do to clean up the sink, someone knocked on the door. I brushed a hand though my hair and leaned on the handle of my mop. "Happy, could you get that?" He leapt into the air, miraculously growing wings and flying through the doorway.

"Aye sir!" I went back to my chore, but a minute later Gray's spiky blue head poked around the doorframe. I was vaguely surprised he had bothered to knock – he was always breaking into my house without permission.

"Lucy?" I straightened and smiled at him.

"Hey, Gray. Why are you here?" He just stared at me. "What's the matter?" I glanced down. "Do I look weird?" His brows scrunched together.

"Lucy... Why are you wearing an apron?" I tugged self-consciously at the edges.

"So it looks weird after all. I wasn't really thinking about it since I didn't expect anyone to come over today. I didn't want my clothes to get dirty while I was putting my kitchen back in order, so..." I gestured down at the thigh-length pink apron. Before Gray could reply, there was a clanking sound in the other room, and then Erza appeared. She was about to say something when she saw the apron and her eyes went wide and cat-like, and her mouth opened a little bit. (A/N: Come on, Fairy Tail watchers. You know what I'm talking about. The face Erza makes when she's being cute, like when she went through Lucy's panties. Or when she goes "Kya!" That face.)

"L-Lucy..." Erza began, clearly scandalized. "Why are you wearing that while Natsu is sleeping in your bed?" I blushed bright-red and held up my hands like I was trying to defend myself from something.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong. He slept there without my permission, and made a huge mess in here, so I was cleaning and I didn't want my clothes to get dirty, so I put the apron on..." I hid my face in my hands. "Oh, never mind. Why are you guys here?" Gray leaned casually against the table, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt, just that silver pendant and black pants.

"We were worried, so we came to make sure you were alright. You didn't show up at the guild today." I suddenly remembered that I had promised Erza I would be there that day.

"Oh, sorry. I was really tired, so I slept into the afternoon." I glanced at the bedroom, where Natsu was still snoring away. "Although apparently, he's even more tired than I was." I looked at Erza, who was fidgeting in the doorway. It was unusual for her to look like that, so I figured it had to be important. "But, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" She scowled at Gray, who flinched.

"Can we talk in private?" I nodded, feeling immensely sorry for poor Gray. Erza looked prepared to kill him if he said something in protest.

"Come on, let's go to the bathroom." I untied the apron and tossed it at the table, walking past Gray and Erza into the bedroom. Studiously ignoring Natsu's sleeping form, I led my friend into the bathroom and sat on the floor against the tub. Suddenly I remembered the time I had sat in the same position with Cana when she told me about her dad. I patted the floor beside me, encouraging Erza to sit down. "Tell me what's on your mind." She sat silently, her fingers twitching like she was resisting fidgeting again. After a moment, she sighed.

"So, you see..." I watched her, prepared to wait as long as it took for her to say it of her own accord. Her shoulders straightened, and she took a deep breath. She turned to face me, and the intensity in her deep brown eyes was almost frightening. The last time I had seen her look so fierce was...

"He contacted me the other day."

...When she was with Jellal.

**Thank you for being patient with me. I have very little skill with computers and barely know how to click things. Just so you know, I will try to update fairly often, except school starts tomorrow, and I have other stories (mostly originals, a few fanfics) that I have ideas for, so there will be days I don't update. Let me know about mistakes, ideas for what will happen with Natsu and Lucy, or with Erza and Jellal – I'm pretty much making up the plot as I go along. Anyway, I really appreciate any and all reviews, so type something in the box and click that button! Click it! You know you want to.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everybody! Here's the new chapter. I kinda wanted to have some fun with Erza's insecurities, so... This is what happened. I may or may not have gone overboard – let me know. This chapter is dedicated to gwb620. (I might've gotten the number wrong – I'm sorry!) Special thanks go to WhiteWinterStar and LeahMineStar. Apologies to those of you who were excited to read last chapter only to get illegible gibberish. I suck with computers. Sorry. Oh, just so you guys know, my brother just made an account here – I'm super psyched. I've read his first story so far and it's really good. If you want, go check him out. His account is ThatGuyYouMetOnce, and I know you won't regret reading his fic! Review for him and all that too. (In case you're curious, the fic is Lucy x OC and a bit of Grayza, I think. So it's got different ships than mine.) Then without further ado, _Just Friends _chapter three!**

I gasped and turned my body towards her. "Really? What'd he say? What'd he want?" Erza stared at the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Erza?" I said softly. Her chin jerked, like I had startled her, but her eyes stayed fixed on the tiles. "Sorry. I didn't mean to rush you. Take your time." She shook her head.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm just trying to process..." The incredibly strong, confident Requip wizard sighed sadly and rested her face in her hands. "He wants to meet. Tomorrow. And I don't..." her voice trailed off, getting softer and softer until it faded to nothing.

"You don't want to?" I said quietly, trying to help her fill in the words she couldn't say. But she shook her head. I watched as her long red hair swished lifelessly through the air.

"It's not that. I..." She finally, finally raised her head and her eyes met mine. To my extreme horror, they were wet and blurry with tears. "I don't know..." Her voice cracked, and I think that was what broke her control. She gasped and started crying in earnest, tears pouring down her cheeks. She flung herself on me and wrapped her arms around me in a death grip. I patted her back and stroked her hair, letting her bury her face in the corner between my neck and shoulder. "I don't know what to say to him!" she wailed. "And he said he had something to talk about, and I'm..." Erza had to break to suck in air and cough trying to hold back her sobs. "I'm afraid of what he'll say, Lucy!" Seeing my strong-willed, beautiful, and inspiring guildmate so broken like that tore me apart. What am I saying? Erza wasn't just a guildmate – none of the Fairy Tail members were. Fairy Tail was my home, and every member of the guild was my family. We had proved it to each other countless times, and would prove it countless more. And Erza was the one I had looked up to most during my time at the guild, as a role model for battle skills and personal values.

So watching Erza cry felt like an army of beleaguered gnomes was stamping on my heart. "Don't cry, Erza," I whispered. "It's going to be fine. Please don't cry." It was no use. She was terrified of what she saw in her imagination, and the tears just kept coming.

"You know," a sleepy voice said from the doorway, "I'm kinda disappointed." My head flew around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash.

"Natsu!" I exclaimed. Erza swallowed hard and looked up tearfully, releasing me from her crushing grasp.

"Natsu?" she said. Her voice was small and frightened, and I squeezed her hand. I hoped I could convey my worry and support through that little gesture.

Natsu yawned and grinned at us. I blinked. His hair was sticking up on one side, and despite Erza sitting next to me, I had to suppress an overwhelming urge to fix it. "I mean, you're Erza Scarlet. The great Titania." Erza flinched like he'd slapped her. I glared at him, but either he didn't see or he didn't care. But suddenly, his expression was serious and the mocking smirk was gone. "Not only that, you're a Fairy Tail wizard. Who was it that defended the guild from a blast from Jose's Jupiter Cannon with nothing but her Adamantine armor?" I stared at him, starting to see where he was going with this. "Who was it that would have sacrificed her life for the sakes of the people trying to escape the Tower of Heaven before it destroyed itself and everything within a hundred miles? Who was it that fought alongside new friends and old to protect the world from Nirvana and the Oracion Seis? Who is it that has shielded her guild and family from danger so many times no one could count them if they spent their whole life trying?" The words flew fast and hard and hot from the Natsu's mouth. Finally, he crossed his arms and lifted his muscular frame from the doorway. "Where is she? 'Cause I don't see her."

Erza stared at him wide-eyed. Her tears had stopped, and now I could see individual drops clinging to her lashes. Her face were tear-stained and her nose was blotchy and red. There was a crease where her cheek had pressed into my collar. Simply put, she was a mess.

Even so, I had never seen her look so majestic and radiant as she wiped her eyes and stood with a smile. "You're right, Natsu. But I'm back now." I stood too, captivated by the proud aura of strength Erza radiated just then. She turned back to me and bowed her head. "Thank you, Lucy. I'm sorry for worrying you." Erza "Titania" Scarlet raised her head and met my eyes. I smiled back, praying the tears in my eyes weren't visible, and lifted my hand like I was waving hello.

"Welcome back, Erza."

"Remind me why we're doing this?" I hissed to Natsu a day later. We were crouched in the branches of the huge tree in the middle of Magnolia Park, peering through binoculars at the scene below us. Natsu put a finger on my lips without looking away from the ground.

"Shh! She'll hear you!" I blinked in surprise and clamped my lips firmly together to keep from doing something stupid. Happy, unfortunately, saw the faint blush dusting my cheeks as Natsu removed his finger.

"You liiiiiiike him," he sing-songed softly. I glared at him and pulled his cheek, hard. "Owowowow!" he wailed, pawing at my hand, involuntary tears at the corners of his eyes. "Lushee, that hurtsh!" Happy complained. "Natshu, help me!"

"Shh!"

I sighed and let go, picking up my own binoculars and zooming in on the couple talking at the base of the tree. Erza was listening as Jellal smiled and said something to her. She laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. Jellal took a step closer and Erza said something. I felt the tight pinch of jealousy in the pit of my stomach. Not of Erza, but of what she and Jellal had. It wasn't like they were together, but it was clearly a mutual love. Meanwhile, I loved an idiot who didn't have a clue about anything but eating, sleeping, fighting, and destroying things. Mutual love was out of the question.

Watching Jellal and Erza talk like it was the most natural thing in the world, I really wanted to know what they were saying to each other that could make Erza look so gentle, or Jellal laugh so hard he grabbed his stomach. I wanted their secrets.

"Natsu," I whispered in his ear, making him rock back on the branch and tear his gaze from the two below. His dark eyes focused on me, wide and surprised and nervous. Nervous? Maybe I was imagining things. "Is there a way to hear what they're saying? We're too high up, I can't make out their conversation." Slowly, Natsu pointed to a dial on the side of my binoculars. An earbud was wound around it, and Natsu twirled it off and inserted it in my ear before I could register what he was doing. He twisted the dial a little, and Erza's voice sounded in my ear. I squeaked in surprise and lost my balance. My feet slid out from under me and I tilted forward, about to fall into the middle of Erza's date.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted my butt back onto the branch. "Careful," Natsu mumbled, his arm anchoring me to his side. I had always imagined Natsu would feel kind of hard to lean against, considering all his muscles, but he was surprisingly comfortable. I fit next to him like we were a pair of interlocking puzzle pieces.

"Thanks," I whispered back, resting my head on his chest. He stiffened, but I was suddenly exhausted, all of my energy sapped by fear. I glanced up at his face and Natsu flashed me a grin. Just like that, a little bit of my energy came back. Battery: 10%.

"Any time." Trying not to do anything weird, I closed my eyes and focused on the conversation playing in my ear.

"–was it you really wanted to talk to me about?" Erza's voice queried smoothly. Jellal let out a sigh that merged with a sort of chuckle.

"I was wondering if you would ask," he said. "You see, I wanted to clear something up." He paused, but Erza didn't say anything, obviously waiting for him to continue.

"I lied before. I don't have a fiancee."

**So you know, this fic takes place after the big dragon attack at the end of the Grand Magic Games, and it's assuming that they beat the dragons and Future Rogue and go home cheerfully as always. Please, please, please review and all that stuff! It's super encouraging and I love hearing your opinions! Also, I can't fix something if I don't know what's wrong with it, so if you disagree with something, tell me why and give suggestions how I can make it better! (That's why it's called _constructive _criticism.) As always, love you guys! Remember to check out ThatGuyYouMetOnce – his fic is awesome and it's got lots of cool characters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I was feeling inspired, so I'm churning out chapters this week! I hope you guys are sufficiently grateful. If you want to let me know just how grateful you are, review! Puh-lease! Favorites and follows are also much appreciated. I wanna feel the love! Make my days sparkly – God knows school isn't giving me a rush. REVIEW! Oh, I almost forgot. This chapter is dedicated to LeahMineStar. Special thanks go to WhiteWinterStar, gwb620 (glad to know I got your number right!) and Rukia Heart. If you want a chapter dedicated to you, be the first to comment on this one!**

My eyes snapped open, hungry for images to accompany these insane words. When had Jellal told Erza he had a fiancee? I couldn't remember if she had ever mentioned something like that.

"So?" Erza said quietly, pulling my focus squarely to her, standing at the base of the tree with her arms folded and her head cocked. "I knew that already." Jellal gaped at her, his blue hair falling in his eyes. People were staring at the two of them as they passed, murmuring to each other and giggling. Someone said something about a "lover's quarrel," causing Jellal to turn bright red. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and I looked up to see Natsu glancing down at me.

"What's that?" he whispered. "Igneel never told me about anything like that." I sighed. He was gazing at me with wide-eyed curiosity, as innocent as a child. But those hazel eyes, that messy pink hair, his tan skin and straight nose and soft lips, it all belonged to a teenager the same age as me. At the end of the day, that was the unconquerable wall keeping me from becoming more than his friend. He was a ten-year-old in a seventeen-year-old's body. "Lucy?" he hissed, waving a hand in front of my face. "Oi, Lucy. Wake up." I snapped out of my daydream and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I got distracted. A lover's quarrel is when two people in a relationship have a fight about nothing, like yelling at your husband for not putting the clothes in the dryer," I explained in hushed tones. "Or if your girlfriend doesn't give you homemade chocolates for Valentine's Day. (A/N: I'm using the Japanese version of V-Day, meaning that the girls are the one giving presents, because I didn't want to make all the examples be of the woman getting mad at the man and I couldn't think of anything else. :D) Get it?" Natsu nodded, making the adorable scrunched-up face he had when he was thinking really hard.

"I see."

"Or," Happy interjected, "When Lucy gets mad because you came into her apartment without knocking again!" I felt every blood cell in my body rush into my face and chopped Happy on the head reflexively. "Ouch!" he whined. "Lucy, stop hurting me!" I shot him a patented death glare and scooted a little away from Natsu, suddenly feeling uncomfortable being so close.

"Lucy," he said slowly, looking me straight in the eye, very serious. I leaned away and averted my eyes, flicking glances between him and a very fascinating leaf that looked exactly like the other thirty-thousand leaves currently clinging to the tree's branches.

"Y-Yeah, Natsu?" I said back, almost forgetting to be quiet in my confusion. My face was still red from earlier, I was positive, and my back was starting to burn where I had scraped it against the wide branch earlier. There was something itchy in my hair, which was wind-swept and tangled. And Jellal was saying something in my ear which I really wanted to listen to.

"Could you–"

"Shh!" I breathed eagerly, making him twitch. "Say that in a second." I swept my binoculars to my eyes. There was a rustling sound as Natsu crossed his arms and humphed. On my other side, Happy giggled, and I knocked him on the head without taking my eyes from the pair on the ground.

"I told you, you're a terrible liar. I saw right through you," Erza was saying matter-of-factly. Jellal slumped, his entire body just going sort of soft, and his eyes fixed on the grass beneath his feet.

"I see," he said softly, defeated. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily. "I suppose it was pointless, then," he mumbled, so low I don't think Erza was meant to hear. But he underestimated her sharp ears, and her deep-set love for him.

After examining him concernedly, Erza smiled gently and clapped a hand on Jellal's shoulder. His head jolted up, his eyes locking with Erza's warm ones. Mesmerized, he simply gazed at her, peace settling over his face like an old familiar blanket.

"It wasn't for nothing, Jellal," she told him. "I understand why you did it, and I admire your strength. I–" I was tilting forward, impatient for what she would do next, when the brach quivered violently and I was rudely heaved from my seat and draped over Natsu's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The binoculars slipped from my grasp and yanked out the earpiece as they fell, hitting the branch with a thunk and sliding off into the beyond. I thumped Natsu on the back with my fist and growled in his ear.

"Put me down! What the hell are you doing? They'll see us." He didn't look at me for a moment, and I couldn't make out his expression. "Natsu?" I was starting to worry that something was wrong when he turned his head to grin widely at me.

"Squirm any more and you'll lose your skirt, Luce." I gasped and put my hands on my butt, tugging frantically at the hem of my miniskirt. I had never had a problem with the length before, but now I was wishing I was wearing jeans. Or, better yet, sweatpants. That way, they wouldn't be pulled so tight against my skin you could see the outline of every bump, freckle, and blemish.

"Put me down right now, Natsu!"

"They're gonna hear you if you don't keep down your voice, Luce. " He cast a swift glance at Erza and Jellal, who I could no longer see. "They're not even...talking..." Whatever he saw there made him go quiet and slightly pink. He stared straight ahead, pointedly looking away.

"What? What's going on?" I asked, dying of curiosity. "What are they doing?"

"Nothing," Natsu muttered, turning his back to them and leaping off the branch, effectively shutting me up. We landed on one ten or fifteen feet down, and Natsu swiftly sprung to the next one. We reached the ground quickly, on the opposite side of the tree as Erza and Jellal and whatever they were doing that made Natsu so flustered. Happy flew down after us, a fish in his mouth. I really didn't understand where he got those things and how they stayed so fresh.

"Hey, hey!" he called excitedly. "Did you see–" Natsu grabbed him by the tail with one hand (the other was still holding me up) and muffled his voice by sticking Happy's face in his chest.

"She'll hear you!" he said in low voice. I flicked him in the side of the head as he made as if to walk off into the park. He frowned at me, rubbing his head. "That hurt, Lucy."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I whispered fiercely. "People are staring, and I'm pretty sure that guy over there can see up my skirt!" Natsu took in the shocked gazes and the beet-red teen fixated on my rear end and put me down carefully.

"Sorry, sorry!" he laughed, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly and giving me a huge Natsu grin. "My bad." I nodded, my defenses knocked down in a single blow. Then Natsu grabbed my hand, nodded to Happy, and started running. "Come on!" he shouted. "Let's go back!" I smiled back and ran after him, my legs pumping and my breath coming long and slow, filling my lungs and then leaving them empty. It was exhilarating, running with Natsu across the park to the street beyond. It was like a dream, one I didn't want to give up.

Five minutes later, my legs were cramping, I had a stitch in my side, and there was not nearly enough oxygen in the world. "Natsu," I gasped. "Hold up." I let go of his warm hand and braced my palms on my knees, bending over and sucking in deep measured breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Happy asked, hovering easily above me. I nodded, not wanting to interrupt my breathing exercise by talking.

"Do you need a bag to breathe in or something?" Natsu joked, still wearing that elated grin on his face. Happy laughed, and then Natsu laughed too, and then I was laughing at how stupid we were, two wizards and a talking cat on the streets of Magnolia after spying on our guildmate and her will-eventually-be-boyfriend. I forgot my practiced breathing. I forgot that my legs hurt. I forgot that I was starting to get hungry.

And, most importantly, I forgot my love for Natsu. In that moment, I just was. Nothing complicated.

That one second was pure bliss.

**Hmm. I'm not really sure about this ending, but screw it. Let me know what you thought, and of course favorite and follow. I love you guys! I'll update soon, promise. Byeeez!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Soon is now, Ebony! Chapter 5 is done, so here you are. This chapter is dedicated to Dark Shining Light. Special thanks go to WhiteWinterStar, FanfictionLeon, and Ebony. And hell, I'm gonna mention it, because it's awesome and I want all you review-holdouts to see this and feel guilty and review my stories – WhiteWinterStar has commented, not once, not twice, but four times, on EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER I HAVE POSTED. I love you, WhiteWinterStar. And for all the people who aren't commenting or at least favorite-ing/following: BOOOOOOOOOOO! Shame on you. Please, please, please, please. Type something in that stupid box – I honestly don't give a damn if it's something stupid like, I'm eating Cheerios right now. Type something and click that button. You know clicking things is fun, so it's a win-win situation. I get happiness sparkles and you get to click a button. And tell the Internet about how you're eating Cheerios. Actually, if you review this story, I will write a one-shot for you. (Any pairing, even if it's something stupid like Grayza –apologies, Grayza shippers. They give me the creeps.) Seriously! Review, and then send me a PM detailing your pairing and any other stuff you want in the oneshot. NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO–**

"Natsu-nii!" Romeo shouted as we entered the guild. (A/N: For those of you who are going "The hell does THAT mean?", it translates to something like big bro Natsu. I wanted to make this as American as possible, but I really could not get behind big bro Natsu, and Romeo just calling him Natsu weirds me out. Similarly, he calls Lucy "Lucy-nee" – big sis Lucy.) Natsu looked down at him with a grin and ruffled his hair.

"What's up, squirt?" Romeo beamed, but then something caught his eye.

"Natsu-nii... Why are you holding hands with Lucy-nee?" I blinked and looked down at Natsu's right hand. It was loosely grasping my left wrist, and I mistily remembered Natsu grabbing me and dragging me along (thankfully slower than before) to the guild. I flushed and stepped away, bringing my wrist with me. Natsu's hand hung in the air, looking lonely and sad. Slowly, he lowered it to his side. For once, he wasn't laughing like a madman or picking fights or burning things – he just stood there.

The uncommon reaction brought me back to my moment of clarity, where loving Natsu wasn't something that held me back or forced lies out of my mouth, it was something that made me laugh harder and colors seem brighter.

"What are you talking about, Romeo?" Natsu said loudly with a cheerful smile, patting his head and walking past him towards the table where a cluster of our friends sat talking animatedly. "Lucy and I are friends!" I flinched and gripped my elbow tightly.

Reality sucked.

Romeo watched Natsu with a funny expression on his young face. "Huh," he mumbled. He looked up at me with a bright smile, reminding me forcefully of Natsu. He was so like him, in more ways than one. "I always thought he kind of liked you, Lucy-nee."

"That's ridiculous," I said flatly, too tired to even blush. I needed something to distract me from Natsu, I decided. And spotting just the girl for the job, I marched across the room. "Cana!" I tapped her on the shoulder, diverting her attention from the adult-sized barrel in front of her.

"What is it, Lucy?" she slurred. "'M busy. Come back later."

"I want to drink with you!" I declared, hands on my hips defiantly. She stared at me.

"What are you talking about, Lucy? You're just a little kid. Go have a milkshake or something." I glared at her.

"No thanks. Hook me up."

She scrutinized me for a long moment, and then laughed. I relaxed and tucked a lock of hair behind my hair, sitting across from Cana at the table. "Oh well! Drinking ought to be an all-ages sport, anyway. And you look upset about something – nothing like drowning your troubles in alcohol!" I smiled. That's what I'm here for. "Mira!" she shouted to the pretty white-haired bartender. "I need another barrel!" Mira only smiled and rolled another one out from behind the bar toward us.

"Enjoy!"

I tried lifting the barrel and tipping it to my lips like I'd seen Cana do a million times, but the thing was enormous and filled to the brim with an alcoholic beverage of some sort – wine? Anyway, it was heavy, and I staggered under its weight. Cana paused her gulping to laugh at me.

"For a newbie like you, just use this." She tossed me a wooden mug, which landed in the barrel with a splash. More giggles erupted. "Dip it in and drink from there," she explained after her laughter subsided. I nodded and fished out the mug. It was half-full, so I put it to my lips and swallowed. It was slightly bitter and burned going down. But there was something else that felt like it was rubberizing my intestines. I coughed and almost dropped the mug.

"What is this stuff?" I gasped.

"Authentic Fairy Tail wine," Cana said, smacking her lips and putting her now-empty barrel on the floor. She produced another mug and scooped up some of my wine. "The master makes it himself." I shuddered and pulled a face.

Did I really want to get drunk? But I was already there, and Cana seemed happy to have a drinking partner. Besides, this was going to take my mind off Natsu for a while. At least twelve hours. I hoped.

Screw it. Lucy Heartfilia was not one for backing out of something she had decided on. Determined, I filled up my mug and gulped down another mouthful. It wasn't as bad as the first time, so I drank some more. Each time it got a little easier. Soon I didn't even notice the rubbery feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Cana – hic – this stuff is pretty – hic – tasty, after – hic – all," I hiccuped. Then I giggled. I was feeling pretty good, warm and soft and rubbery. My thoughts were a vague haze, and I was glad I couldn't remember that thing I had wanted to forget so badly. Cana watched me. Her face was a little distorted, like I was looking through a funhouse-mirror lens.

"Lucy, I think you've had enough," she said, reaching for my cup. I jumped up, wobbling, and held my mug close to my chest, sloshing wine on my shirt in the process.

"No!" I shouted. "I'm fiiiiine." My head tilted, and my stomach did too. I clamped my lips shut stubbornly, refusing to let the alcohol come back up.

"Lucy, your shirt's all wet. Come on, I'll take you home so you can change and go to bed, okay?" I rolled my eyes sloppily.

"Since when are you so responsible, Canaaaa?" I mocked, feeling off-balance. "You've drunk more than I have, anyway." I glanced down at my mug. How much had I drunk, anyway? I laughed. Who cared? Cana frowned and sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll get wrinkles like that," I told her. She raised an eyebrow, but ignored that comment.

"Anyway, someone definitely needs to take you home and get you to bed so you don't start puking," she said. I grabbed her shoulder and gave her a shake.

"Relax, relaaaaax," I cooed. "Have a drink – it feels great!" She shoved me off and sat me down. My stomach churned again. I stared at Cana's back, fascinated by the smooth plane of skin, as she turned around and started asking people to take me home.

"Please, Gray," she begged. "I don't know where she lives, and she's too drunk to help me out any." He shrugged, and my eyes followed the smooth movement of his bare shoulder curiously.

"Sorry, Cana. I've got a job. And besides..." he glanced at me, and I waved, beaming. He shuddered and looked away. "Drunk Lucy is scary." Cana started to say something, but he walked away quickly, almost running for the doors. I laughed hysterically.

"Youuuu got rejected," I sang happily. Cana surveyed the guild desperately.

"Is everyone pretending they're chronically busy?" she demanded to the air.

"Hee hee, Cana's got an invisible friend." I really almost lost the contents of my stomach when the hard bench fell out from under me and something solid warmed my side.

"I'll take her home."

Cana sighed with relief. "Oh thank God."

**I may or may not have come off horrifically desperate up top. But I want reviews, and I actually do want to write some oneshots. So I'm killing two birds with one stone. In case you skipped the top bit: basically, I said people who don't review or favorite or follow suck, so do at least one of those things! And if you write me a good review (sorry, you have to say something worth reading. Saying things like, I just farted so hard my butt lifted off my chair DOES NOT QUALIFY YOU) I'll write you a oneshot with the pairing of your choice. If your review's good, I'll PM you and ask for your preferences, as well as any particular things you want in the oneshot. I'd prefer something lengthier/more detailed than Good story! although I appreciate those reviews as well. Who am I kidding, I'm pretty desperate. REVIEW! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Mwahahahahahaha! I did it! Chapter six is DONE! Don't mind me. I'm just super excited. So, I know a lot of people were excited for Drunk Lucy and Natsu to be alone in her apartment, but I didn't really go in that direction. I guess I could have, but I had a gut feeling, so I went with that. Never underestimate the gut feeling of writer at 2 in the morning. And I like to think that Lucy's words at the end are influenced by the alcohol. **_  
_

**BIG NEWS! THIS IS NO ORDINARY CHAPTER! IT'S FROM _NATSU'S POINT OF VIEW! _Did I just blow your minds? Did I? Probably not, but hopefully I made some people excited. I'm thinking every six or so chapters I'll write an opposite-POV chapter, just to keep things interesting. Another gut feeling. By the way, I would have posted this earlier, but my computer is old and slow and I'm pretty sure it hates me. Bear with it. FINALLY, this chapter is dedicated to gwb620 (again) and Miroyasha, who wrote a super long review which I was bratty about. (Check out the comments if you wanna know.) Special thanks to DazzTugz (check out Pieces of the Puzzle, my first dedicated one-shot), WhiteWinterStar (as always), bronzitewolf, Dark Shining Light, BlueCyanide, ThatGuyYouMetOnce (I suppose) and Rapunzel3! The biggest number of reviews yet! Thanks so much to all of you! Oh, and to the people I promised one-shots to by Sunday – some may get done. Most definitely won't. I'm terribly sorry for being so lazy. Rapunzel3, I'll write you one too if you want it. And WhiteWinterStar, I'm thinking maybe a confession next chapter. I'm trying to figure how I want it to happen right now.**

_SPECIAL NATSU EDITION!_

"So you'll make sure she gets to bed okay and everything, right?" I nodded, bored, and shifted Lucy's now-limp body in my arms. She was cold, and she stank of booze. There was a suspicious purple stain on the side of her chest, rising and falling with each breath she took. Cana was still staring at me intently.

"What?" I grumbled irritably. I just wanted to get Lucy home and make sure she was okay. "Why are you so worried about this, anyway?" I probably should have been asking myself that question. She was just drunk and passed out. I'd seen my friends at Fairy Tail like that a thousand times, and it was never a big deal. It had happened to me, too. So why was I freaking out over Lucy when she had done the same thing? Well, she is my comrade and teammate and all, I reasoned. That's it. And she's a girl, so I bet she doesn't handle alcohol well. That's it.

Cana frowned, her cheeks turning red, and looked away. "I just... Feel kinda responsible. I was the one who gave her the stuff." I shrugged, laughing a little.

"Well, whatever." Lucy mumbled and grinned stupidly in her sleep. I couldn't resist smiling at her sleeping face – it was so relaxed and calm, like there was nothing to weigh her down. Lucy never made that face when she was awake. I glanced back up at Cana, who was watching me with a funny look on her face. I shrugged again, trying to shake off the feeling it gave me. "I'm taking her home now." I turned without another word and strode through the doors of the guild into the street. Taking a left, I walked absent-mindedly to Lucy's house. I didn't have to look where I was going – my feet knew the way by heart. When I arrived at her door, I realized it was locked and I had no idea where Lucy's key was. So I turned back around and ended up under her window. I grinned to myself and adjusted my grip on Lucy. As I thought, this felt more natural.

I leapt easily through the open second-story window and rolled onto Lucy's soft bed. She grunted and slapped my face with a flying arm, but she didn't wake up. I left her on the bed and went to the kitchen to look for food. It was back to the way it had been before I trashed it, the floor clean, the pantry full, and all the pots and pans in the right places. I poked through Lucy's ice-lacrima cupboard, looking for something tasty. It was all stuff like lettuce and yogurt, though. Just as I was about to give up and go check out a nearby restaurant, I noticed a container near the back. There was a note taped to it. I pulled it off and scanned it.

_Natsu_, it read, _I made you some extra-spicy chicken so you wouldn't make anymore messes in my kitchen. Just give it a quick zap and it should be fine. There's also rice and milk if you want it. Lucy_

Reading the simple message twisted my stomach like a pretzel. She went to the trouble of making a food she hated just for me, not knowing when I would be going through her food looking for something I liked. And not just that time. Lucy was always doing nice things for me, like washing my clothes or lending me extra money for food. Granted, she always had an excuse – I smelled awful, or if I didn't buy my own food I would go and eat all of hers. She always paid when we went out to eat, even though she was barely making her rent as it was. I found out that she was frequently going on side requests without telling us. Our team was pretty big, after all. And her rent wasn't really cheap.

But still. She could rely on me a little. She was always doing me favors, so why didn't she ever expect anything in return? I slammed my fist on the counter, suddenly angry. Why should she shoulder all the burdens? Why couldn't she let me help her sometimes? It wasn't fair. I wanted to help her. "Damn it," I muttered, clenching my fist against the cool stone counter. "Damn it!"

"Natsu?" Lucy's groggy voice called from her bedroom. "Is that you?" I blinked, feeling my anger drain away. I wasn't mad at Lucy. I was angry with myself, for not being there for her more.

"Yeah, Luce. Just a second." I grabbed a mug and filled it with water, bringing it with me to the next room, where the blonde celestial wizard was sitting up, blinking sleepily. "Did I wake you?' I laughed casually and handed her the mug, sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled sweetly and sipped the water. My chest did this funny squeeze, and I tried not to frown. That was weird.

"No, I was already awake. Thanks for the water." I nodded and stared at the desk, where Lucy's manuscript had gotten thicker. I wondered for the millionth time what she was writing about, but I didn't dare to peek. She'd kill me for sure. "So, what was the yelling about?"

"Huh?" I turned to see her regarding me curiously, gulping more water. "Oh, well..." I laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of my head. "I'm almost out of food money," I lied, still grinning. "I need to go on another job soon." Lucy sighed, rolled her eyes, and winced, putting her hand to her head. Looked like her hangover was kicking in. That was fast.

"How much do you need? I'll lend it to you." I frowned. This was exactly what I had been thinking about – she was so quick to spoil me, give me whatever I needed, no matter the consequences to herself. I waved her off.

"It's fine. It's better if I do it myself. Your rent is coming up soon, right?" I smiled at her, seeing the crease between her brows. _Don't get upset about it._ "I don't want to be a burden to you." She laughed outright at that, her shoulders shaking.

"Please. If anything, I'm the burden. I feel like like I'm always just waiting for you to rescue me from whatever mess I've gotten mixed up in." I stared at her. She really felt that way? She stopped laughing and smiled, oh-so-gently, into space. "What an idiot I am, huh," she whispered. I cocked my head.

"What do you mean?" Lucy jumped and looked at me, flicking her gaze away and back nervously.

"No... Nothing. Never mind." I frowned, but let it go. Lucy was cryptic like that a lot. I'd learned that it wasn't something she wanted me to worry about. Tired of sitting up, I lay back on Lucy's lap. She was soft, and I closed my eyes contentedly.

"W-W-What are you doing?" she exclaimed too loudly above me. I could just picture how her cheeks were flushed pink and her brown eyes were wide with surprise and something else I could never identify. I smirked.

"Just let me. You're comfortable." Something large and puffy landed on my face with a FWUMP. I just chuckled and tucked the pillow under my back. "Thanks, Luce." She growled in frustration and thumped her fist on the mattress. "If you want to do something with your hands," I told her, still not opening my eyes, "put them here." I stretched out my fingers until I found one of her cool hands. I lifted and placed it my head, flat on my hair. She made a sort of gasping-choking noise and then coughed.

"Natsu," she said slowly. I smiled innocently, opening my eyes. Her face slid into focus, her smooth white skin and big brown eyes and sweet pink lips... Lips? I blinked, and the need to stare at her mouth was gone. Weird. Abruptly I noticed that she was breathing hard and her whole face was a color most lobsters would envy. "What... What the hell are you doing?" I grinned at her, and I swear her cheeks tinted a shade darker.

"I like it when people touch my hair," I explained, unable to keep a straight face. Her expression was just too adorable. It cracked me up. "Especially when I nap." Lucy stared at me, dumbfounded. Finally, she seemed to gather her thoughts.

"W-Well, don't make me do it. Go nap at home. Why should you get to do whatever you w-want with me?" she declared defiantly. I pouted at her. Her annoyed expression slipped.

"You won't?" I could see her waver. "Please?" Lucy sighed gustily. Her breath smelled good, like mint.

"Fine," she muttered. "But only for a little while, okay?" I grinned mischievously and closed my eyes again, sighing as she started dragging her fingers through the spikes of hair. "Your hair is really soft," she informed me, clearly surprised. I didn't reply, just absorbing the soothing feeling of her fingertips brushing my scalp. Her hands were cool against me, but I could feel as they warmed up. I drifted closer and closer to sleep, but my mind clung desperately to that moment, lying there with Lucy.

"You know, Natsu," Lucy said suddenly, so softly I wasn't sure I wasn't imagining things. So I just listened. "Will it always be like this? Will it always be me and you, friends and guildmates and nothing more? Will it always be Natsu and Lucy, Lucy and Natsu, our names always linked but never meaning anything?" She stopped. I listened to her breaths, still not making a sound. I didn't want to stop her from saying something important. When she spoke again, her words were nothing more than a whisper. Even so, they shattered my calm, my reason, my sanity. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think.

"I don't know how long I can go on like this. Maybe leaving is the only answer."

_No._

I hardly noticed as my eyes snapped open, didn't register the tears on her cheeks, or the tilt of her head. I only realized how close her face was when I jolted upright and my lips connected with hers. She stared wide-eyed at me and I stared wide-eyed back at her. There was a split-second when neither of us did anything, just lost ourselves in the darkness of each other's eyes.

I found myself thinking I wouldn't mind staying in that place forever.

**So? So? So? I know you guys are dying to scream right now. I would be. Just type a review saying something like AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA or OMFG. Seriously, I do it all the time when I have no words (which happens regularly.) If you have complaints that I didn't exploit the drunk-Lucy and Natsu thing, let me know. I will sympathize with you and MAYBE! even write you an alternative chapter, because even I am starting to have second thoughts about this. If you loved it, review and tell me so I don't change it! Please, guys. It's the best feeling ever to know people are reading this.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So. This chapter is special to me, I think. I hope you guys like it. Lucy makes some tough choices, and she's kinda OOC. Sorry. But man, it's HARD to write with someone else's character! This is good for my plotline, so... Sorry, Lucy. You're not as tough as you should be in this chapter. Man up and deal.**

**This chapter is dedicated to LeahMineStar. Special thanks go to, of course, WhiteWinterStar, Dark Shining Light, bronzitewolf, FanFictionLeon, KillerCupcakes (cool name, dude), presley-chan, gwb620, and EgyptianSoul.88 (Btw, EgyptianSoul, your review cracked me up. I do that too sometimes when I read something that makes me go super-fangirl!) Thanks so much for your enthusiastic reactions to last chapter! This one is kinda sad, but I had tons of fun writing it. No Natsu POV this time, but the next chapter will be all him. And now,**

_BACK TO LUCY.._.

_Wh-why... Why is this happening to me?_ True, the world was still a bit fuzzy, and Natsu's hazel eyes were too blurry to read, but I could clearly feel his hot lips on mine, connecting us in a way I had always wanted. We were kissing. No tongue or anything, just a normal kiss, but...

Thought was impossible at that point. I flung my arms out violently and whacked Natsu to the side, his mouth leaving mine in a flash. He landed on his elbows and stared up at me, confusion written all over his face. "What's the matter with you, Lucy? That hurt," he complained. He sounded normal. No quavering. No voice cracks. Just regular Natsu, as always.

I glared at him, the wrath of God in my eyes. "Go home." I shoved him off my legs and staggered out of bed, catching myself on the headboard before I could slide to the floor. My legs, it seemed, still hadn't gotten the message that they should be working properly. And my head was killing me. Moving hurt. Talking hurt. Breathing hurt.

Behind me, I heard Natsu land lightly on the floor. "Lucy, what the hell are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself." His voice was serious, and I bit my lip. _Stop caring so much about me if you're not going to care enough, you jerk._ His hand grasped my elbow, but I tore it away, making me wobble.

"Leave me alone," I snapped. I tried to push him out of my consciousness, to just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. My legs gave out mere feet from the bathroom door. _Damn it._ I sat there helplessly on the floor, my hair falling into my face. I didn't bother to brush it away.

_Why... Why does this have to happen?_ All I wanted was to get away from these unfulfilled feelings, these emotions with nowhere to go. I had hoped that leaving would give me that distance. That it would keep me from exploding and destroying everything. I could leave and Natsu would always be 'a friend'. Not anymore. I would never get away from that kiss. It would always be there, hovering over me, begging to be acknowledged.

There was no escape anymore.

Natsu squatted on the floor next to me. "Hey, Lucy." I glared at the floor, then stopped. It wasn't his fault.

"Hey, Natsu." I flinched when his warm hand once more squeezed my elbow. "I'm sorry." I blinked and looked up at him, shaking the blond strands out of my face. My head throbbed.

"About what?" He grinned apologetically.

"You know, about the kiss."

Time stopped.

_I'm sorry. You know, about the kiss._

_I'm sorry._

"You're sorry," I heard someone say. Her voice was hollow. She sounded like a girl on the verge of tears.

I think it was me.

Natsu frowned. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I mean, it was my fault we kissed like that." He looked away, his cheeks tinged pink, and scratched nervously at the back of his head. He was embarrassed. _The_ Natsu was _embarrassed_.

The thought made me lose it. I just couldn't stop laughing. I was hysterical for several minutes before I managed to stop. Natsu was watching me quietly, crouched next to me. His hand radiated heat up my arm and down my spine. My head was still aching, but it was more like a dull, steady pounding.

_Don't be sorry._

"You don't have to apologize," I blurted suddenly, the words falling from my mouth like leaves from trees. Natsu glanced quickly back at me, surprise in his eyes. After a minute of saying nothing, he flashed me a grin, the maddeningly adorable kind that made my lips part.

"What do you want me to say then, Luce?" he said laughingly. I stared at the floor, not bothering to joke with him.

_Be glad. Say it made you happy. _

_Say you love me._

I stayed silent. Finally, just as I was gathering my strength to make a break for the bathroom, Natsu's fingers on my elbow twitched. "Hey, Lucy?" he asked. I looked at him as he released my elbow and faced me completely.

Another minute couldn't hurt. "Yeah?" He turned and stared firmly into my eyes. There was incredible determination there, burning just below the surface. It was funny, but this seemed almost different from his usual fiery resolve. It was more like the half-frozen air rising from ice after being exposed to heat. I'd never seen him quite like this before.

"You're not... You're not going to leave, right?" The question was shoved off his tongue like it was burning him. I just gazed at him, completely surprised.

"Leave?" _Wasn't I? Wasn't that the plan?_ I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chin. "I don't know. Maybe. It all seems kind of pointless now." Natsu didn't relax.

"Why pointless?"

I answered without thinking. "Because of the kiss, obviously."

It didn't really hit me for about thirty seconds what I had just blatantly announced to him. When it finally sank in, I froze.

_Oh. My. God._

I was afraid to look. But I had to know. I peered over at Natsu. He was sitting there, his eyes fixed on my forehead, the frozen fire gone. "Because... of the kiss?" I cringed. _Don't just repeat it, idiot!_ "Why?" I glared at my feet. _Let it go already!_

"Never mind." For once, he didn't drop it.

"Why?" I growled under my breath. How am I supposed to tell him? It's not like he understands love.

_Right_. I dropped my face into my hands and kept it there.

"Natsu, have you ever been in love?" _I can't believe I'm saying this_. His brows scrunched up in contemplation of my question.

"I don't know." I let my hands fall away and rested my chin on my knees again.

"Well, when you love someone, you want to see them all the time." _Only, when they don't love you back, you wish you didn't._ "And when you're around them, your heart feels strange, like someone's squeezing it. And you want them to depend on you and you alone, and you hate to see them getting along better with someone else. You want to hide them away and never let anyone else near them. But over all, you just want that person to be happy. So much that what you want doesn't matter anymore. That's what true love is. It's the best feeling in the world." _Except when it hurts so bad you want to tear your skin to shreds just to feel something else._

"It sounds nice," Natsu said softly. "And hard." He grinned at me, making my breath catch. "I guess I have been in love, then." _I don't believe it._ My heart was pounding so hard I was positive he could hear it, and all I could think was that he was going to say he loved me. _Say it. Don't say it. Say it._ "After all, I love everyone in Fairy Tail!"

I sighed, exhausted and burned-out. "That's not the kind of love I was talking about," I whispered. _What I need right now,_ I told myself, _is a long, long bath. And if need be, I can drown peacefully._ I stood on shaking legs and walked slowly towards the waiting bathroom door.

"I feel different around Lucy, though," Natsu said all of a sudden. I stopped, not looking back. "When I'm around you, I feel kind of weird."

I did my best not to cry.

But when the door was safely slammed between us, and the tub faucet was running at full blast, filling the small room with steam, I allowed the tears to escape.

Except they wouldn't come. I wanted to cry, but I had no tears left to lose. I was stuck sitting on the cold tile with my throat burning and eyes prickling. I coughed and scrubbed at my dry cheeks. _He feels weird around me, huh?_

Across the room, the bath started to overflow. I lifted myself to my feet and crossed the room in three long strides. Stepping into the scalding water, I watched detachedly as more water spilled over the sides to the floor. I lowered myself to the bottom and closed my eyes, feeling around with my toes to turn off the water. My clothes lay heavy on my limbs, soaking up the water until they could hold no more. It occurred to me that ordinarily I didn't wear clothes in the bath.

_Whatever. I never really liked this outfit anyway_. I had to laugh bitterly at that. _Because that really matters right now._

"So, what to do now..." I mused aloud. "I could just do jobs alone for a while... But then everyone would want to know why. If I avoided the guild for too long, they'd all come to my apartment. That's out too." I sighed and bit my lip. "Is that really the only thing I can do for now?" _I don't want to feel this way anymore. It hurts, Mom. What do I do?_

_I guess this is my only option for now. Until I get over this one-sided love._

Water sloshed out of the bathtub as I pulled myself over the side. I stripped off my clothes and wrapped a warm towel around my torso. Poking my head out the door, I glanced around – Natsu was nowhere to be found. Faint munching sounds came from the kitchen. I slipped out and snatched up a bag and several sets of clothes and my keys. Finally, with a last wistful glance at my novel, I dashed back to the bathroom and shut the door quietly. Everything else I would need was in there. I kept my money in a hidden drawer under the sink, and all my toiletries and such were in the mirrored cabinet. I changed quickly and stuffed everything into the bag, zipping it closed with some effort. Alright. That was that.

Natsu was still in the kitchen when I left the bathroom, bag slung over my shoulder. Anxiously, I tiptoed past to the door, slipping a fresh ribbon into my hair as I went. As I silently opened the front door a crack, I listened for signs of him leaving the kitchen, but none came. I breathed a sigh of relief and left, closing the door behind me.

Walking down the road in the direction of the guild, I tried to convince myself that this was the right choice. _A fresh start. And it's not like I'm leaving forever,_ I told myself. _Just for a while. A year or two, at most. It'll be good for me. Natsu can't protect me forever._

_He won't be with me forever._

I shuddered and drew my jacket closer around me. I would have turned back right then, but I was already at the guild. I stared up at the sign, fading away into the twilight. I still remember vividly my first time at Fairy Tail. Gray and Natsu fighting, the master scaring the pants off of me, meeting Mira. I met my best friend Levy here. I rebuilt a family here. This place was my home.

_It's not like it's forever._

Why did that word keep coming up in my thoughts? _Forever._ I didn't want to leave, forever or not. But could I stay? How long would that last? How long could I just be Natsu's teammate?

_This is for the best._

Gathering every last drop of courage I possessed, I stepped through the open doors of Fairy Tail for what I knew deep down would be the last time. I marched right down the hall, ignoring the curious gazes of my guildmates, and sat at the bar in front of the beautiful bartender.

"I need a big favor, Mira."

Half an hour later, I was ready. Or at least, I pretended I was. I had to be ready. Mira watched me sadly, her eyes still glimmering with the pale hope that I would change my mind.

"Are you sure about this, Lucy? You don't have to leave." I smiled at her.

"I'm sure." _No, I'm not._ "After all, I think it'll be fun to go on a training trip for a year! I'll come back much stronger, I know it!" _I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't tell you the truth. I'm such a coward._

"And you're really not going to tell Natsu yourself?" she asked for the millionth time. I shook my head, still smiling.

"He'll make such a big deal and insist on coming with me. But I want to do this on my own. It's important to me." Mira heaved a sigh and smiled gently at me.

"Alright, if that's really what you want, I won't stop you." I grinned genuinely this time, too relieved for words. "But, Lucy, promise me you'll come back." I frowned and cocked my head, my smile fading. Mira, looking unsettled, grabbed my hand. "It's just, I'm getting a bad feeling. Like there's something you aren't telling me. Like you aren't really planning on coming back." I laughed uneasily. Her senses were too good.

"Don't worry, Mira. I'll definitely see you all again. I promise!" She smiled, and I noticed suddenly that there were tears in her eyes.

"Right!" She wiped them away with the back of her hand and let go of my hand. My fingers felt cold. "Then go talk to the master before you go. We'll explain everything to the others after you leave." She glanced at the dark doorway, and I knew she was thinking about Natsu.

I nodded and got up. "Mira, Happy's somewhere around here, right?" She pointed to a corner table, where Happy sat with Carla and Lily, munching cheerfully on a fish. "Thanks." I picked up the letter I had written and walked up the stairs to talk to Master Makarov.

* * *

"I see." I stared into my lap, feeling small and sad as the master looked at me from across the table. "So it's come to this." I didn't know what to say. He did, though. "That damn brat!" An enormous smashing sound made me jump and look up. The master's fist had tripled in size and slammed the desk to splinters. "Such a foolish boy who can't even take care of his teammate properly!" I blinked.

"Who are you talking about, Master?" He glanced at me, his wrathful expression softening.

"Natsu, of course. Who else?" I gaped at him.

"But– I never said–" He shook his head, smiling sadly.

"You didn't have to. I can tell, Lucy. I know when my children are in pain." More than anything, I wanted to cry at that moment. But my eyes refused to work. Master Makarov stepped around the ruined desk and clasped my hand with the Fairy Tail insignia on it tightly.

"The insignia..."

"Keep it." My eyes widened. "Like it or not, you will always be a part of this guild, Lucy Heartfilia. And we will always be a part of you."

* * *

Hours later, long after I had boarded the train and left Magnolia and Natsu far behind, all I could hear was those words echoing again and again in my mind. And finally, finally, surrounded by strangers who watched me with pity or revulsion, I cried my heart out for everything I was giving up forever.

**So? SO? Do you see why I love this chapter so much? Yes, I know many fics have Lucy leaving the guild for something stupid like Natsu replacing her with Lisanna and everyone hating her. And then she comes back with superpowers and is all, "Yeah, who's weak now?" But that's not my plan for this one. And yes, of course she comes back, never fear. The next chapter should come out soon – I'm feeling super inspired right now. See you all soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's done! I would've posted this last night, but there were complications with my computer. Sorry, guys. Anyway, this one's all Natsu. Some stuff happens, and then he does some other stuff. Geehee. (In case ****_no one is getting my reference, _****the 'geehee' is the Gajeel/Lily laugh.) So, yeah. Dedicated to nico2883. Special thanks to WhiteWinterStar (duh), lilpumpkingirl, and PrincessoftheDemons. Lilpumpkingirl, thanks for your advice! I'll definitely try something like that next chapter. Review, follow, favorite. It gives me happy feels. And so, back to**

_NATSU_

I could hear Lucy running the water in the bathroom. It didn't sound like she was coming out for a while, so I made my way to the kitchen, where the chicken was calling my name. After toasting a leg for a few quick seconds with a tongue of flame, I tore off a chunk of flesh with my teeth.

_When you love someone, you want to see them all the time_. I hummed in the back of my throat and finished off the leg, enjoying the burn of the spices in my stomach. It was almost as good as genuine fire._ And when you're around them, your heart feels strange, like someone's squeezing it._ The way she described it, it sounded kind of painful. _You want them to depend on you and you alone, and you hate to see them getting along better with someone else._ Wasn't there a word for that? Jealousy, maybe? I frowned as I gobbled a breast and licked my fingers. That seemed kinda off. _You want to hide them away and never let anyone else near them._ That was kinda strange, too. Why would you hide someone away from everyone else? _But over all, you just want that person to be happy. So much that what you want doesn't matter anymore. _Well, that much was true. I would do anything to protect Fairy Tail. _That's what true love is. It's the best feeling in the world._

I sighed and leaned back against the counter, gnawing thoughtfully on a bone with a few scraps of meat still clinging to it. True love, huh? Sure, I loved all of my guildmates. But was that really what Lucy was talking about when she said true love? I mean, from what Igneel had told me, loving your family was different from truly loving someone. Not that you loved them any less, he'd explained, you just loved them in different ways.

So did Lucy asking me that question out of the blue like that mean that she had someone she truly loved? The thought made my chest feel tight, like when I ate too much fire at once and had to spit some out. My tongue tasted sour. Maybe I'd heated the chicken too much and burned it without noticing.

In the other room, the water turned off. I gazed out the kitchen doorway, but there was no sign of Lucy. I popped a wing into my mouth and chewed it, crunching up the bones absentmindedly. I'd have gone to check on her, but the memory of walking in on her naked the last time held me back. That time had been... Weird. Really weird. Lucy's clothes always seemed to be disappearing, but that particular time was different somehow. It made Lucy really upset, for one thing. More than usual. And for another, seeing her naked body had made me go all funky. Her blonde hair hung in damp tendrils, the droplets sparkling in the light. Her pale-skinned waist invited me closer, asked me to run my hands over it to see if it really was as smooth as it looked. And her expression as she looked over, just before she realized what was going on, was just... She was so unguarded. In that moment, alone, she was simply Lucy. Not Lucy of Fairy Tail, or Lucy from Team Natsu, or 'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilia. She was everything she wanted to be and nothing more.

That person was my favorite Lucy.

Pondering the few times I'd seen Lucy that way, I finished the chicken and went to take a nap on the bed. When I woke up an hour later, the first thing I did was check to see if Lucy had come out of the bathroom yet. The door stood partly open, but she was nowhere to be seen. I peered around the doorway of the kitchen, but it was empty. Left with no other choice, I made my way reluctantly to the bathroom. "'Scuse me," I muttered, peeking with slitted eyes into the bathroom. But there was no one in there, either. I opened my eyes all the way and frown into the room. The bathtub was still mostly full, and the floor was covered in a thin sheet of water. The cabinet hung open, and there was a mess on the counter. I poked around a bit, looking for other things that were unusual. The clothes Lucy had been wearing earlier lay on the tiles, sopping wet and see-through. An idea came to me as I stared down at the sink and I kneed the knot of wood just barely visible through the paint on the wooden stand below the sink. The secret drawer Lucy kept her money in slid open. I looked inside curiously, and went numb.

It was empty. She had cleaned it out completely. What was she thinking? That was her precious money for paying rent and buying food! She had worked so hard for that money. What the hell could she be buying? I stomped out of the bathroom, ready to search the whole city for her, when it occurred to me that her keys weren't on the desk. Why would she take her keys to go shopping? A bad feeling was creeping up my spine as I surveyed her apartment. It seemed empty, suddenly. Like it had been abandoned. I tried to laugh it off. How could Lucy abandon this place? It was her home.

Still, I went through her drawers. They were almost empty. Several of Lucy's favorite outfits were missing, and her stash of hair ribbons was gone. It was like she had packed up and... Left.

"I refuse to believe that," I announced. "Lucy wouldn't leave on a job without me." Maybe she was waiting at the guild for me, and I had just forgotten we had a job. But usually, I was too excited to forget a job. It was all too weird. I decided I would go through her desk before I checked at the guild. As I opened and shut drawers filled with paper and pens and paper clips and envelopes, I noticed Lucy's novel, half-covered by books. Hesitantly, I dug it out from under the pile and flipped to the middle.

_"I love you, Natsu." _I blinked. Say what now?_ "I love you. And I wanted you to know, even if I'm just your teammate." Natsu looked at me, adorable confusion written plainly on his face. I wanted so badly to kiss him. _

_"What do you mean, Lucy? I knew already." I gasped softly. He knew? All this time, all the hiding and lies, and he already knew? Natsu grinned at me, making my stomach do backflips. "After all, you love everyone in Fairy Tail, right?"_

I dropped the novel on the desk and flumped to the floor. That conversation seemed incredibly familiar. It was kinda like the one we'd had earlier, actually, when I'd said I loved everyone in Fairy Tail. For some reason, I seemed really insensitive and clueless for saying that. I crossed my arms and sighed grumpily. "Well, I'm terribly sorry for that."

I tried to ignore the novel, but eventually I had to know what happened next. So I picked up the thick stack of paper and leafed through until I found my place.

_"You don't get it," I mumbled thickly, choking back tears. "That's not the kind of love I meant." Natsu cocked his head and looked at me innocently._

_"Then, what did you mean?" I felt my cheeks ignite and looked away._

_"I don't love you like I love the rest of Fairy Tail, Natsu. I love you like... Like a woman loves a man. You know?" He shook his head slowly. I sighed and gazed at the floor. How could I show him... "Natsu." He blinked._

_"Yeah?" I beckoned to him with my hand. He leaned forward curiously. "What is it?" I took a long, deep breath and braced myself for what I was about to do. I pushed my back off the floor and leaned into Natsu until his lips met mine and we were kissing. After a moment, I broke away. Natsu stared wide-eyed at me in shock. "W-what..." I glanced up at him shyly._

_"I love you like that." He raised a trembling finger to his lips, still just staring at me in utter shock._

For the second time, I dropped Lucy's novel. "What... What the hell is this?" I muttered, staring at it. I felt hotter than usual, especially in my cheeks. "It couldn't be like... It couldn't be like that was true, right? She doesn't really feel that way, does she?" I covered my face with my hands, slumping over into my lap. _When I'm around you, I feel weird_.

_Weird?_

Maybe I shouldn't have said it that way. _I... might've hurt her feelings_. I scrambled to my feet, running out the door and down the stairs to the street outside. It was suddenly imperative that I reach the guild and find Lucy as soon as possible.

When I burst through the guild doors, it was well past sundown, and everyone turned to stare at me. I sped between the tables to where Mira was cleaning the bar. "MIRA!" She didn't look up. "_MIRA!_" I shouted, right in her face. She flinched, and looked up slowly. Her usual smile was a little off.

"No need to scream, Natsu. I'm not deaf, you know." I ignored her comment.

"Have you seen Lucy?" I pretended not to notice how her eyes wouldn't meet mine. "Was she here?" Mira nodded.

"She'll be away for a while." I frowned, my fingers tapping nervously on the bar.

"Is she on a job with someone?" Mira winced, her hand tightening on the rag she was using.

"Well, not exactly." I was about to question her further when Gramps' voice rang down from the top of the stairs.

"Listen, brat!" I looked up at him, waiting for his explanation. "Lucy is on temporary leave." I gaped at him, my fingers stilling. _She's on what?_ "She will be traveling on her own for a year or so." The guild, by this time, was completely silent.

"What..." Levy's voice echoed softly behind me. She sounded like she was going to cry. "What do you mean, Lu will be gone for a year? And she's all by herself? Why didn't she tell me?" More complaints and questions erupted, throwing the guild hall into chaos. I just stood there like a rock, frozen in place. _She left. She really, honestly left._

_Why? Why would she leave me here without her?_

"DAMN IT!" I roared, startling everyone else into silence again. I glared all around me, daring anyone to come forward with an explanation. I didn't expect the one who did, though.

"Natsu," Happy said quietly, padding towards with something clutched in his blue paws. "Lucy asked me to give this to you." I knelt down and accepted the crackly white paper from him. It was a letter, addressed to me. I stomped over to an empty table in the corner to read it.

_Natsu,_ it read,_ I'm really sorry. But I think this is for the best, since our feelings are so different. You never felt it, of course. But it haunts me, this love you will never return. I know you think I love you just the same as everyone else in Fairy Tail. That is a lie. I love you more. Or, maybe I should say I love you differently. I don't feel the need to kiss Gray every time he smiles like an idiot, for example. I love you like a woman loves a man. If you're having trouble understanding, watch Al and Bisca for a while. You'll see the difference._

_But I know you don't see me like that. Natsu, I want to tell you a few more things about love, true love. It hurts. It's hard, like you said. And loving someone who will never love you back is the worst of all. Ask Juvia – her love towards Gray is like that. She hasn't loved him as long as I've loved you, though. She hasn't reached the breaking point yet._

_Master probably told you already, but I'm leaving to travel and grow stronger. I might come back someday. I might not. I need to get away from the love that clawing through my skin, find a way to just be your friend. The truth is, I didn't want you to be sorry about that kiss. I wanted you to tell me then, that you cared about me the way I care about you. It was a silly hope._

My fingers clenched tightly in the paper, wrinkling it. A small tear appeared on the edge, spreading into the middle.

_You know, I kept thinking about the word 'forever' today. I know you won't be around to protect me forever. I know we won't be this way forever. I know I won't love you forever. But sometimes, I wish I could freeze those happy moments when it's just you and me, laughing together. I'm not thinking about not loving you then. Forever is a long time, isn't it? But I wouldn't mind forever, if you were by my side._

_I love you. I'm glad I met you. Goodbye._

_Lucy_

The whole thing burst into flames, burning the page to ashes in a matter of seconds. I sat there trembling, wishing I could burn away the words seared into my mind. A hand on my shoulder made me jump.

"That's rough, man," Gajeel's gravelly voice commented. I leapt to my feet, fists up and flaming.

"Got something to say?" He held up his hands to indicate he wasn't there to fight.

"Cool it, flame breath. Came to see if Lucy's ever coming back" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where Levy was crying and hugging Mirajane. "Levy's pretty upset." I sighed and dropped my hands.

"I don't know." He grunted and crossed his arms, turning away.

"Oh. I guess you really don't care if she stays or goes then," he said airily. My fist was clenched in his shirt, pulling his ugly mug to mine, before he could take another step.

"What'd you say, metal face?" I growled. He grinned.

"You heard me, Salamander. What're you gonna do about this?" I scowled and let him go, storming past him to the doors of the guild.

"I'm getting her back, obviously," I shouted to him. Without another glance, I strode off into the night, Happy close behind, Gajeel's laughter still ringing in my ears.

_I'm coming for you, Lucy._

**Ok. Let's hear it. I'm awesome, aren't I? Yeah, I am. Flamio. Right, so I'm thinking no more than two more chapters. Having said that, it's likely that there will five or six. But hey, no complaints on your part, right? ANYWAY, review! Follow! Favorite! If you're so lazy you cant bring yourself to click a freaking BUTTON, I fear for your future. But have a nice day! Updates will be soon (or maybe not).**


	9. Chapter 9

**Deep inhale. Deep exhale. Deep inhale... YOU GUYS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW?! A SUPER HUGE TON! YOUR REVIEWS ARE WAY TOO AWESOME! I'M SO FREAKING HAPPY I MIGHT CRY! But instead, how about I update? Lucy's a little different in this one, but bear with me. It's been three months away from Natsu and Fairy Tail. She's gonna be a little crazy. Anyway, this is a pretty good one. I think you'll like it. Reviews! Follows! Favorites! Follows! Come on people, get to clicking!**

**Dedicated to gwb620. Special thanks to melt0928 (love your pic!), WhiteWinterStar (of course I'm doing an epilogue – it wouldn't feel right without one!), DazzTugz, Mhilano, maxt2019 (I love you for being so amazingly nice – thank you SO MUCH!), LeahMineStar, and finally lilpumpkingirl, who as always gives me amazing feedback and fantastic advice. It's like, be my plot-creator. My life would be so much easier. Thanks so much to all of you awesome people. If you want your name up here, try being as awesome as these guys (it's easy – type something and click the button). AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU**

_LUCY_

It had been three months. I'd traveled halfway across Fiore and ended up in a huge city called Cyprus. It reminded me painfully of Magnolia, what with the cherry trees and wide canal. I found myself walking right on the edge like I used on my way home from the guild. Before I knew it, I'd ended up in front of a small apartment building with a big sign stating that there was an apartment for rent. I stared at it for a while before giving up and walking inside. It wasn't like I had anywhere to be, after all. I could spend some time in Cyprus before moving on.

I followed the hallway on the ground floor to a spacious office in the back of the building. It was dim, and filled with gaudy plush furniture that looked ancient. Behind the wide mahogany desk was a hunched figure, scribbling away on a sheet of paper.

"Hello?" I said quietly, trying not to startle him or her – it? "Are you the land... Um, the landperson?" The figure glanced up, grunted, and snapped its fingers. Dozens of tiny lights embedded in the ceiling flicked on, making me blink in the sudden brightness.

"Yes," the person said, standing up. "I am the landlady. Are you here to ask about the vacant room?" I started to nod, but when I caught sight of the short, plump woman standing before me, my jaw dropped in shock and horror.

"The Landlady?" I exclaimed. "From Magnolia?" She looked exactly the same – small, round, with glasses, a purple coif, and a terrifying expression. She was scantily clad as usual, wearing a blouse that was barely buttoned and a skirt that looked more like a belt. "It's me, Lucy!" She sniffed.

"You must be thinking of my older sister. She rents an apartment building in Magnolia." I deflated.

"Oh. I see." What were you expecting? I scolded. It's not like she would leave Magnolia all of a sudden! I sighed. Truthfully, I had been so glad for a connection to my old life, no matter how small or rotund. Or badly dressed. "Well, I'd like to take a look at the apartment mentioned earlier. Could you show me?" The landlady nodded and bustled past me, all business.

"Come this way. It's on the top floor." We climbed two flights of stairs to the third floor, where there were two doors. The landlady unlocked the one on the left and gestured inside. "After you." I stepped inside and gasped.

"It's... the same." Everything – the carpets, desk, bed, paint color – it was all just the same as when I had walked into my Magnolia apartment for the first time. Even the floor had the same funny dip in the middle. I ran into the bathroom – the same there, too. The kitchen was identical as well. Finally, I stood panting in the middle of the main room, drinking in every detail. The landlady eyed me with distaste.

"Is it to your liking?"

"What's the rent?" She frowned at me, and I cringed. Man, was she creepy.

"It was listed on the sign out front." I smiled sheepishly, and she sighed. "80,000 jewel a month." I gaped at her.

"No way. My old apartment was only 70,000 and it was exactly the same! Are you kidding?" Her frown sharpened to a glare.

"Do you have a problem? The rent is 80,000." I crossed my arms.

"Make it 70,000 and we have a deal." She laughed, an obnoxious ear-splitting sound.

"You amuse me! 80,000, take it or leave it." I slammed my hand on the doorframe behind her and leaned way down into her pudgy face.

"This apartment is barely worth the 70,000 jewel. Charging 80,000 is practically robbery. Lower the rent." She shivered a little, but puffed up her chest bravely and looked me straight in the eye.

"Threats won't work on me!" she declared. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who said anything about threatening? I just thought you needed me to get a closer, since obviously you couldn't hear me from way down there." Air hissed between the landlady's teeth.

"75,000 is my final offer. I refuse to move from that point." I shrugged and straightened up.

"I can afford it. I'll take it." The woman humphed and tugged on the hem of her blouse. A button had popped off and was lying on my floor. "Can I have the key?" I held out my hand, and she dropped the key into my outstretched palm with a sigh of disgust. I wrapped my fingers around it and offered her a friendly smile. She stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. As soon as she couldn't see my face, the smile fell away and I heaved a long sigh, tucking the key into my pouch with my gate keys.

I ended up staring out the window, watching the traffic go by. None of the people passing were familiar in the least. It made me homesick to be in this place without my friends. I rested my cheek on top of my hands on the sill and turned my thoughts to my monetary situation. True, I could afford rent and food, but I would need to check out the guilds here for work. I'd found that guilds all over were pretty nice about sharing their jobs with traveling wizards, as long as the guild wasn't too big or stuck-up. For example, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale had been more than glad to let me take some of their requests, but others like Astral Sphere, the ones that were getting bigger and high on their power, were really unfriendly, especially to members of threats like Fairy Tail. My shoulder still ached from the rock a guy with telekinesis had chucked at me. It had felt good to beat him up.

"So," Loki said over my shoulder. "What are you going to do now?" I jumped.

"Damn it, how many times have I told you not to do that?" I turned to face him. He smiled brightly at me and adjusted his shades.

"Sorry. But anyway, what's the plan?" I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder, back out the window.

"We're staying here for a while, until I decide it's time to move on." I didn't have to look to know Loki was looking at me pityingly.

"It is a lot like Magnolia, isn't it?" I sighed and faced him agian. He knew me too well.

"Yeah. This... probably isn't healthy." Loki shrugged.

"Maybe not. Or maybe this is exactly what you need. We won't know until we stay for a bit." I smiled gratefully at him and nodded, moving away from the window and heading towards the door. "The third floor, huh?" the Celestial Spirit commented behind me. "I don't think even he could jump that high." I hunched my shoulders and opened the door.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I stepped into the hall and locked the door behind me. Somehow, Loki was already next to me.

"Yeah, yeah. I know you don't."

Out in the street, I stopped a couple of kids about Romeo and Wendy's age and asked them what guilds were based in Cyprus. They gave me funny looks.

"Well, duh," one said snarkily. "Sabertooth." Loki gave him the eye and he flinched. His friend stepped forward curiously.

"Hey, are you a guild wizard?" I smiled and held up my right hand.

"Sure am." The kid gasped.

"Awesome, you're from Fairy Tail!" The other one looked up at me suspiciously.

"Aren't you that chick with the big boobs who's always hangin' around Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster?" My smile slipped a little.

"No." The second kid gasped.

"Yeah, you are! You're Lucy Heartfilia! I saw you fight at the Grand Magic Games in Crocus. It was super cool. And I heard, about how Flare from Raven Tail totally cheated to beat you by threatening Asca! And, and–" I held up a hand.

"Okay, okay. Thanks. Look, can you guys take me to Saber? I don't know my way around town yet." The second kid nodded enthusiastically, while the first glowered at the ground and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Thanks a lot."

The two boys led the way down the canal, past shops and fishing boats. Their names, I learned, were Sam and Holland. Holland was the irritable one, and Sam was the one talking at light speed. "And, and, Natsu Dragneel is SO COOL! I mean, he totally beat up Sting and Rogue ALL BY HIMSELF! Not that Sting and Rogue aren't cool, but I mean, you know. Right?" Loki nodded, a forced smile on his face. I'd delegated him to walk next to Sam, while I followed behind next to Holland. He didn't say anything, just scuffed his shoes on the ground and grunted every time I asked him a question.

"Are you a Sabertooth fan?" I asked him eventually. At first, I thought he was going to ignore me again, but instead he nodded.

"Yeah." I smiled. Finally, I was getting somewhere.

"They're all really strong, aren't they?" He nodded again, this time a little more willingly. "Who's your favorite?"

"Umm, I guess Sting, if I really had to pick. But I think Rufus' magic is definitely the coolest. And Orga is super strong, you know? And then you can't count out Rogue, of course." I laughed.

"They're all pretty awesome, I guess." Thinking about Saber brought me back to the Grand Magic Games. "Watching them fight was something else. And fighting alongside them was even better. It was such a rush." Still, the best rush of all was fighting with Fairy Tail. They were on a whole other world. "I remember back during the Games, there were so many amazing battles, it's hard to count. Gray versus Rufus was one of the best, I think." Holland actually smiled a little at that.

"That one was awesome for sure. Gray Fullbuster's Ice-Make magic is incredible. I liked Gajeel versus Rogue, too. I mean, Shadow-Steel Dragon? Come on, that was awesome." I nodded.

"No doubt. Do you like Fairy Tail, too?" He looked up at me, his gray eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I love them!" Is this what I looked like, talking to Natsu about wanting to join Fairy Tail years ago? "Hey," Holland said suddenly, furrowing his brows. I raised my eyebrows.

"What is it?"

"What kind of magic do you use?" I laughed, mostly out of surprise. "What's so funny?" I waved my hand in the air, swallowing my laughter.

"No, nothing." I jerked my chin at Loki, who was still gamely trying to listen to Sam. "See Loki up there? He's my magic." Holland was obviously confused. "I'm a Celestial Spirit wizard. Loki's actual name is Leo the Lion. He's a Celestial Spirit of the Zodiac." Holland pointed at me. I blinked.

"You're like Yukino!" he exclaimed. I relaxed and grinned.

"Yeah, we're good friends." He folded his arms and nodded sagely.

"Ah, I see, I see." I tilted my head in confusion, but chose not to comment.

"Lucy, we're here," Loki said. I realized he and Sam had stopped and were waiting for us. I glanced to the left, where a big stone building stood, isolated from the rest of the structures. A banner announced that htis was, indeed, the Sabertooth guild.

"Oh, alright. Thanks for everything, guys," I said to Sam and Holland. They nodded. "Loki, I think it's about time you went back." He grinned and blew me a kiss.

"See you then, Lucy. Call me if you need me." He vanished into a shower of gold. Sam and Holland stared in amazement.

"Cool..." I smiled and patted my key pouch.

"Well then, bye, you two." I waved and turned to the big double doors of on of Fiore's best guilds. As I put my hands on the doors and pushed, I heard Holland shout.

"See you later, Lucy!" I glanced back with a last wave and a smile before stepping into the guild hall.

The first thing I registered about Sabertooth was how many people were in there. I mean, there had to be a hundred, at least, just sitting around at the tables. And don't even get me started on the crowd at the request board. The second thing I noticed was how ordinary it was. I'd expected the legendary Sabertooth guild hall to be more extravagant, but it was pretty plain. Wooden tables, a small bar to the side, a rickety staircase in the back.

As I walked past more and more tables on my way to the stairs, the chatter filling the hall died and curious or hostile gazes were directed at me. I ignored them and continued on my way until a familiar white-haired wizard blocked my way at the foot of the stairs.

"Only wizards approved by Master Sting may go upstairs," Yukino said, just as official as always.

"Yukino!" I grabbed her in a tight hug, then held her out at arm's length. "How've you been? I missed you!" She blinked at me in surprise.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" I let her go and smiled.

"I'm traveling for training." She glanced around expectantly.

"Where are Natsu and the others? Are they getting something to eat?" My easy smile faltered at that. Is it that weird to see me alone? Will I never be free of this?

"Actually, I'm by myself." Before she could say anything, I hurried on. "So, anyway, can I go talk to Sting for a minute? I'm planning on staying a while, so I'll need to borrow some job requests." She smiled and nodded.

"Of course. I'm sure Master Sting will be glad to give you some assistance." She started up the stairs. "I'll take you to him." I followed her to a small room that was crowded to capacity with four people and two cats. Sting lounged across his desk, examining a board game on the floor idly. Lector sat on his hip, munching on something. Sting and Frosch stood to the side, while Rufus and Orga sat on the floor, also intent on the board game. Yukino knocked softly on the doorframe. "Master? You have a visitor from Fairy Tail." His head shot up so fast, I thought he'd give himself whiplash.

"Is it Natsu?" His face fell considerably when he saw that I wasn't, in fact, Natsu. "Oh. Who are you?" Yukino grimaced.

"Master, she is a good friend of Natsu's. Lucy Heartfilia, remember?" He rested his cheek on his palm and stared at me for a few long seconds.

"Mmm... Nope. Not at all." I just laughed, while Yukino looked at me like I was crazy for not being mad. I didn't particularly care though. Sadly, I was used to people not remembering me by now.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. I'm here to ask you a favor." One blond eyebrow lifted, urging me to continue. "Would you mind if I took some job requests here? I'm traveling around Fiore, and I need some jewel for rent here." Sting shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me. We have plenty, anyway. And if you're a friend of Natsu's... How is he, by the way?" I tried not to flinch. At Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale too, everyone wanted to know how Natsu was doing. Leave me alone already.

I turned casually and held up my hand over my shoulder. "How should I know? Haven't seen him in months. Thanks for the help." I bit my lip as I descended the stairs, willing the image of Natsu's carefree grin from my mind. Get out of my head, damn idiot. No one wants you here anymore.

Caught up in my confused fog, I didn't see the purple-haired guy in front of me as I elbowed my way to the request board. I slammed right into his back, sending him crashing into the board. "Hey!" he grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Sorry," I mumbled, snatching up the first three requests I saw and slipping back through the crowd.

I heard him call again from behind me, but I was already out the doors and running down the road to my apartment.

**OK, let's have it. Thoughts! Fangirl moments! Hate (WITHIN REASON)! Suggestions! Come on people, don't keep me waiting!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm mixing it up a little. You'll get Lucy's perspective, of course, but there'll also be purple-haired guy's POV and a third-person Sting bit. Next chapter is gonna be super awesome, promises! For now, enjoy this one. I definitely won't be meeting my goal of finishing up the story with this chapter. Geehee. **

**Dedicated to DazzTugz. Special thanks to gwb620 (love you), WhiteWinterStar (super love you), KillerCupcakes (loving your name, and I totally know what you mean – sleep is for morning people), Nala1432001 (sure thing – I love Gruvia), and last but not least, LeahMineStar. These people are the coolest. If you're only favoriting/following, you're so-so. If, for some unfathomable reason, you're doing none of these things, you are at the VERY BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE. EVERYONE ELSE IS SITTING ON YOU. JOIN THE RANKS OF THE COOL PEOPLE.**

_Who the hell was that?_ Like a ghost, Yukino appeared beside me, watching the blonde girl disappear out the doors. "I'm worried about her," she murmured. I knit my brows, thinking.

"Who is she?" Yukino glanced at me. I rolled my eyes. "What? I'm curious. She just rammed into me and then ran off with my job. Is she a new recruit?" Yukino shook her head, making her short bluish-white hair bob back and forth.

"Of course not. She's from another guild." I gave her a funny look.

"And you think the master would just let some other guild's wizard take on some of our jobs? He's not that nice." Yukino sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"She isn't just some other guild's wizard. She's close friends with a wizard Master Sting respects very much, and her guild isn't just any guild. It's only natural that we would help her out when she asks for a favor." I turned my gaze back to the doors.

"Oh yeah? Pretty impressive, if they can get that guy to kowtow to them." Aggravated, Yukino cast me a disapproving look.

"I really wouldn't disrespect the master by joking about them like that, Dian. Fairy Tail is an incredible guild." I stared at her. Fairy Tail? That girl was from Fairy Tail? I was so shocked, I didn't almost didn't catch the sweet smile on Yukino's face. "Lucy and Mira and everyone else, they are like stars. They sparkle from a distance, and they are blinding up close." I slid my hands deep in the pockets of my ripped jeans.

"That might be," I mumbled, "But get too close to a star, and you'll get burned to nothing." Still, that blonde stayed in my mind. She intrigued me, somehow. "You said her name's Lucy?" I asked, louder now. Yukino nodded uncertainly.

"Dian, whatever you're planning, I discourage you from doing it. She isn't as weak as she seems." I shrugged, grinning. I'd missed this thrill. After all, I hadn't had a good hunt in ages.

* * *

Gasping, I finally halted in a grove of tall elms. I was... Somewhere. I swore and kicked a sapling, but it sprung back up and slapped me in the face, twigs scratching my cheeks mercilessly. I bit my lip and and flopped to the loamy ground, not caring that my shorts were slowly but surely getting soaked. The job papers crinkled under my hand, reminding me that I needed money, but I was too exhausted to do anything but stare up at the canopy. I couldn't see even a sliver of soft blue sky.

_Just like my heart._ I couldn't see anything through the shadows in there either. There wasn't any light to illuminate the gloom there.

Wind blew through the trees, rustling the greenery, and for just a second I saw the sun before the leaves settled back into place.

It was suddenly very dark without the bright light.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, cold and familiar. They stung my cut skin, and I welcomed the pain as a distraction. But like everything else, it lasted only a second. Before I could summon my defenses, Natsu's smile once more lit itself in my heart. But even that couldn't pierce the veil holding me captive. It wasn't going anywhere – after all, we had been together for a very long time. Ever since I had been a lonely little girl.

I felt something wet plop on my hair, spreading a damp circle on top of my scalp. Soon, another droplet landed, followed by more. "Oh," I said. "It's raining." How appropriate. Just the kind of weather that made me feel justified in my misery. I considered a small puddle forming in a dip between two trees. _Well, why not?_

I fished around in my pouch for the right key and held it out, dipping the tip into the puddle. "Open, Gate of the Water-Bearer. Aquarius!" I called. She appeared, glaring bloody murder already.

"I thought I told you to stop summoning me from nasty bilge puddles!" she snarled.

"Sorry." Aquarius swung her jug at me, but I dodged easily. For once, she didn't say anything scary or rude. She didn't even have that awful sneer on her face. She just sighed at me.

"Not this again," I thought I heard her mutter under her breath, before sending a huge wave at me. I tuned everything else out to brace myself for the onslaught, but she still knocked me flat on my back. I staggered to my feet.

"Again."

We trained for hours. Afterwards, my feet ached. My back ached. My arms ached. Really, every nerve ending in my entire body ached. I still hadn't managed to beat Aquarius once since we had started training. Loki kept telling me that I only needed to train my spiritual power, that if I could work on summoning several spirits at once I'd be set, but I was ignoring him. I didn't want to only rely on others anymore. I wanted to be able to fight for myself if my keys and I got separated again. I hated being powerless. I hated being the damsel-in-distress.

_Never again._ I had promised myself. Never again.

When the rain stopped, Aquarius called a halt. "Go home," she said. "You're soaked." I sighed and stripped off my sopping jacket, wringing it out.

"Yeah, I know." I dismissed her and turned to leave, and then I remembered. "Except... Which way's home again?"

* * *

Sting was concerned. Stupidly, of course. But nonetheless, he was concerned.

He had finally remembered the blonde girl with the big breasts – she was the Celestial wizard who was always hanging out with Natsu. Which was actually the reason he was concerned. If she was here, where on Earthland was Natsu and the rest? They were a team, weren't they? Wasn't Fairy Tail all about teamwork and family? So why was she here, all alone?

"Sting," Lector said. Sting opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the reddish Exceed. "Think something's wrong with Natsu?" Sting sighed heavily and sat up, rubbing his back where it had contacted the hard desk.

"That's a possibility, unfortunately. I guess we could ask her." He frowned. He was definitely forgetting something important. "Hmm..." He screwed up his mouth and closed his eyes again.

"Didn't you ask her before, though?" Lector pointed out. "She said he was fine."

"That's it!" Sting realized, leaping nimbly off the desk and gliding out of the room. "Rufus!" he shouted from the top of the stairs, leaning over the banister like a child. "Got a second?" The long-haired wizard looked up from his game of solitaire in surprise, but willingly followed Sting back to his private room. "I need to contact Fairy Tail about that girl earlier, Licky Hatface." Rufus frowned.

"I believe you mean Lucy Heartfilia. A lovely name – I memorized it." Sting waved his hand impatiently, perching on the edge of the desk. Lector watched him curiously.

"Why are you contacting Fairy Tail, Sting?" Sting swung his legs back and forth, the clunks of his boots hitting the desk echoing rhythmically. He never took his eyes from Rufus, who was preparing a shining video lacrima.

"Well, she looked kinda weird earlier when I asked her about Natsu. I figure either she wasn't telling the truth, or there's something else going on. She's probably not going to give me the details, so I'm asking her guild. They gotta know. Is it ready yet?" Rufus nodded proudly and set the lacrima back on its stand.

"I have the procedure memorized," he announced. "Just do... This!" He tapped the lacrima once on the top, sending cloudy white ripples down the sides of the sphere. After a moment, the black surface flickered and revealed a stone wall. The three Sabertooth members could hear loud noises and raucous laughter coming from somewhere in the background, but all they could see was that bare stone wall.

"Hello?" Sting called. "Fairy Tail? Anyone there?"

A tiny voice said, "Did anyone else hear that?"

"It's Sabertooth! Hellooooooo?"

"There it was again!" the high voice exclaimed. "It was coming from over here..." Abruptly, a small face framed by dark blue hair slid into view. "Oh! Is that... Sting?"

"What?" another voice grumbled. "What are you talking about, Wendy?" Gajeel's metal-pierced face was shoved directly up to the lacrima. "It is Sting! What are you doing?"

"Hey, brats!" Makarov yelled from outside Sabertooth's vision. "Why are you fooling with my lacrima? Put it down!"

"It's Saber, old man!" Gajeel shouted back. Sting, clearly annoyed, crossed his arms.

"Is Natsu there?" Gajeel's face was shoved once more into the lacrima screen.

"Hah? What do you want with the Salamander?"

"Gajeel, please put the lacrima down," Wendy begged. "The master is getting angry." A moment later, the screen zoomed out from the dragon slayer's red eye and revealed the Fairy Tail guild.

"Anyway," Gajeel growled, picking his teeth, "The Salamander ain't here." Sting did his level best not to pout.

"Then where is he? I really need to talk to him." Gajeel looked away.

"That's none of your damn business, kid." Sting snarled at him, but Lector put a paw on his arm and shook his head. Sting sighed and relaxed back onto the desk. Gajeel glanced at him and then rolled his eyes. "What do you need to tell the Salamander? I'll let him know next time he comes back. In a month or so." Sting shot upright again.

"A month? That's too long! She'll be gone by then!" Gajeel raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, several people crowded around the lacrima.

"She?" Levy demanded. "Are you talking about Lu?" Erza rested her elbow on Levy's shoulder.

"It must be Lucy, Levy. Calm down."

"Is Lucy okay? Does she have a place to stay?" Gray asked next. "Oh, Rufus. Long time no see." Rufus tipped his hat.

"You're as naked as I remember, Gray." Gray blinked and glanced down at his bare chest.

"Old habits die hard, I guess."

Sting's fist slammed on the desk, effectively shutting everyone up. "So noisy. Look, I need to know what's going on with Licky." Lector poked him in the back.

"It's Lucy, Sting."

"I need to know what's going on with Lucy!" he repeated shamelessly. "And why isn't Natsu coming back for another month?" Erza sighed.

"I suppose it was only a matter of time. Pegasus and Lamia know already, too." The others parted so she could come up to the front. "You see, Lucy's on indefinite temporary leave from the guild. We don't know why she chose to travel, although she told us that it was for training. She left Natsu a letter, which he burned out of anger or something else. And now he's off looking for her to talk sense into her and get her to come home." Sting blinked.

"So, no one knows what was in that letter?"

* * *

After stumbling through the woods forever, I ended up behind the Sabertooth guild out of sheer luck. Dirty and tired, I patted the job requests in my shirt to make sure they were still there and then stumbled around to the entrance. I met Yukino at the entrance.

"Lucy, are you alright?" she asked me, eyes the size of saucers. I nodded weakly.

"Is there a shower here?" She pointed upstairs, never taking her eyes off me.

"Upstairs, attached to Master Sting's office. Just knock and he'll let you use it – he never uses it himself, so it's fine." She ushered me up the stairs and then left with one last worried glance. I made my way to Sting's private room and was about to knock when I heard voices.

_Wendy. Gajeel. Master Makarov. Levy. Erza. Gray._ All of them, talking. How... How are they here? After listening for another minute, I realized they were talking via lacrima. Exhaling with relief or disappointment – I didn't know which – I leaned back against the doorframe.

_They're talking about me. Sting contacted them about me._

_I guess I can't stay here after all._

Can't?

My fingers tightened on the molding of the frame. _Since when do I run from unpleasant things like this? Since when do I hide from my family?_ They were clearly worried sick about me. I hadn't contacted them in months. I hadn't even told them the real reason for my trip.

_The least I can do is pretend I'm happy._

I opened the door just as Sting was saying, "So, no one knows what was in that letter?" I crossed my arms.

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you." Every head in the room swiveled to stare in shock at me.

"Lucy!" Sting exclaimed. "I thought you went home." I frowned.

"I was training." No need to tell him I got lost because Natsu was stuck in my head. I crossed the room and stood in front of the lacrima. Taking a deep breath, I summoned a wide smile. "Hey, guys."

**Righty-ho. Done, for now. I'm working on next chapter – it's gonna be Nalu-tastic. :) REVIEW! FAVORITE! FOLLOW! REMEMBER, IF YOU DON'T, PEOPLE ARE SITTING ON YOU! DON'T BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the wait! I was unsatisfied, and there was stuff to do. Anyway, right now I'm excited – the latest episode comes out tonight! And the next SAO II episode comes out tomorrow. Ah, so happy. ANYWAYSIES, to remind people, last chapter Lucy manned up and faced her friends! So now we're gonna see what happens with that. Dedicated to WhiteWinterStar (saying that never gets old). Special thanks to maxt2019 (yeah, I may have gone a wee bit overboard), lilpumpkingirl (thanks for all your help, and for the offer of advice – I'll let you know), mwerpy (your name is hilarious!), gwb620 (thanks as always for your reviews), nico2883 (more Nalu soon – I'm working up to it), and finally, Nala1432001! For those of you who are curious, I am 12, turning 13 in a week and 2 days. Nala, thank you so much for being wonderful. I love that you love my work, and I love that you let me know! Follow Nala's example and review!**

Levy shrieked and hurled herself at the lacrima screen. "LU!" I backed up a step instinctively, raising my hands in a placating gesture.

"Hi, Levy."

"I missed you!" she wailed, scrubbing at her face. "Where have you been? Why haven't you written to let us know you were safe? I was so worried!" Erza nodded solemnly, crossing her arms firmly. Gajeel and Gray stood behind them, just sort of scanning me up and down. I could see their eyes stop at every scratch and smudge of dirt. Wendy was beaming up at me in that sweet way of hers, and I could make out everyone else in the background, cheering and shouting my name.

_Don't you dare cry._

"I missed you guys too, Levy. I'm sorry – I haven't had the time to write." _Lie._ "I didn't mean to worry you. But, oh my god, Levy, I've been all over!" I went on to describe my travels, briefly touching on every city and town I had visited. "It's been incredible," I sighed with satisfaction. "And training has been going really well." Levy smiled, lifting my spirits a little. God, I'd missed her.

I'd missed all of them.

"So, does that mean you're coming home now? You must have gotten stronger by now." My eyes flicked to a pin-sized section of the wall. I couldn't face her when I said it.

"Actually, I think I'll be going a little farther. I have some plans and such. So, you know–"

It was Macao who interrupted me. "Hey, you're way early!" My gaze traveled back to the screen involuntarily. What I saw there made me want to hide under the desk. As it was, all I could do was stare, unseeing, at the screen.

"Yeah, I forgot something." It couldn't be. No way. No freaking way. But still, the evidence was there, before my very own eyes. Natsu grinned at Macao cheerfully. His hair was messier than usual, and his scarf was askew. Happy padded after him, chomping on a fish. "What's going on?"

_I can't face him. I really, really can't. Not yet._

_I'm not ready._

"You won't believe it–" Macao began, but the master cut him off.

"You're just in time, brat. We're talking to Lucy now."

I bolted.

My feet carried my across the room and out the door, down the hall into unfamiliar territory. I could hear people shouting after me, but I didn't want to. I wanted to go home, to my apartment. My real apartment, back in Magnolia.

I wanted to go back to Fairy Tail.

_But nothing can ever be the same._

* * *

_You're just in time. We're talking to Lucy._

I wasn't listening to the sudden shouts of the people gathered around Gramps' lacrima as I marched to them and shoved them aside. I stared into it, waiting for Lucy's precious face to appear, but instead Sting's face was the one I saw.

"Natsu?" he said cheerfully. "It's been a while!"

"Where's Lucy?" I asked, ignoring Sting's greeting. _Where are you, Lucy? This is driving me crazy._ Sting sighed and frowned, glancing at something I couldn't see.

"She ran off somewhere when she heard you were here." My brows drew together and I glowered at the floor, not listening as Sting kept talking. She was clearly avoiding me. But why? She wouldn't do it out of just embarrassment, would she? It didn't seem like Lucy. I blew out a stream of fire, frustrated. I just wanted to see her! Was that so wrong?

_When you love someone, you want to see them all the time._

"Natsu!" Sting's annoyed tone finally tore me away from my convoluted thoughts. I glanced up. "Listen to me! Lucy is here with us in Cyprus, okay? She'll be staying for a while, so come get her. Or at least talk to her. I have no idea what's going on, but obviously there's something you two should work out. Make sure you get here soon, okay? She's gonna leave much sooner now that you know where she is. I'll try to–"

"Sting." I stiffened, a dragon slayer statue. _Lucy's voice._ _How long has it been?_

_She didn't even say goodbye in person._

"Stop feeding him bullshit. I'm leaving tonight." I choked on air and jerked too fast into motion, but Sting was faster. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her in front of the lacrima. She glared up at him indignantly, brown eyes abnormally bright and shiny. "What are you doing?" Sting pointed to me, staring her down.

"Look him in the eyes and tell him that. Tell Natsu you're leaving while looking straight at him. I'm not the one bullshitting here, Lucy. You're lying to him, and you're lying to yourself." Barely listening to what he was saying, I scrambled closer to the lacrima until my nose was almost pressed to it, drinking up every detail of her body. She was soaked, and covered in dirt and scratches, and her hair was soggy and limp, but she was my Lucy. The one I had been with for over eight years now. The one who laughed at me when I was stupid, who picked me up when I fell, who put me back together when I was shattered.

I had been wrong all those months ago – it didn't matter what kind of Lucy she showed me, I loved every single one.

"Lucy." She stared at me. Was I talking? I couldn't tell. Didn't matter anymore. "I want to see you. I need to talk to you." _Come home. Come back to me. When I'm not around you, my chest feels weird, like someone's sitting on it. It's hard to breathe._ "You know," I said suddenly – it was me. I could tell now – "Before you left, I told you I felt weird around you."

"What's the point of this, Natsu?" Lucy asked, Her voice sounded strange, like it was being pulled tight. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Well, I never got the chance to tell you, since you were already gone, but I don't think you took it the way I meant it. It wasn't a bad kind of weird. I just... couldn't describe it well. Weird is my default." I laughed self-deprecatingly, lacking the courage to look and see what sort of face she was making. "I'm an idiot, huh?"

"A week."

"What?" I couldn't have heard her right. _What is she talking about?_ I looked back to the screen to see that she had her back to me, arms crossed.

"I'll stay in Cyprus for a week, got it? I'm leaving in exactly 168 hours, so if you want to talk or whatever, get here before then." She walked off before I could say anything, leaving me with my hand outstretched to an empty screen. Even so, I smiled to myself.

"Got it. Seven days, right? I can do that, no problem. I'm fired up now!" I clenched my fist and turned my back on the lacrima, already seeing my way to Cyprus.

_Wait for me, Lucy._

* * *

The only possible answer to my brief fit of insanity was possession. I must have been possessed by something, to tell Natsu I was giving him seven days. What was I thinking?

_I wasn't._

I didn't want to see him. Not because I hated him, of course. But if we were face-to-face, wouldn't he reject me? He was too much of a good guy to do it over a lacrima.

I didn't want him to tell me what I already knew. He couldn't ever love me the way I loved him. We were Natsu and Lucy, but we weren't _Natsu and Lucy._ That wasn't us, no matter how much my mind deluded itself that it could happen. It wasn't going to.

_Time to get over it, Lucy._

"Hey," someone said from behind me. I spun around, brushing a hand across my eyes. The purple-haired guy I'd run into earlier stood there, smiling at me. "You're Lucy, from Fairy Tail, right?"

**There you have it. Some cool stuff's happening next chapter – don't miss it! Review, follow, and favorite! Love you guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm sorry it took so long! But, I finished chapter 12. ALSO, today I turned 13! Wish me happy birthday! Anyway, yay! Huffah! This chapter is kinda weird. Sorry. It'll get actually good next chapter (for reals this time), so for now just be patient. If you guys want, I'll add in Natsu's adventures on his way to Cyprus (comedy potential! hehe inside jokes), so let me know in a comment. Review! Favorite! Follow! You should know the drill by now, guys!**

**Dedicated to WhiteWinterStar (haha not 12 anymore also thanks love you;). Special thanks to gwb620, narutofan96sasuke, FrozenFireLight (btw your name is just like super cool), nico2883, and OtakuLover43! I love you guys so much. Sorry for the delay. Without further ado, I give you Just Friends Chapter 12!**

_"Hey," someone said from behind me. I spun around, brushing a hand across my eyes. The purple-haired guy I'd run into earlier stood there, smiling at me. "You're Lucy, from Fairy Tail, right?"_

I shrugged. It came back to me suddenly that I was still muddy, disheveled, and exhausted. "Yeah. If you have something in particular to talk about, can we do it tomorrow? I'm kinda, you know–" I gestured expansively at my general appearance with a grimace – "Gross, so I wanna go..." I trailed off lamely. I couldn't do it, I realized. I couldn't bring myself to call that hollow, identical apartment 'home'. "Back," I said at last. "I'm heading back to shower and sleep." Purple Head smiled sympathetically.

"I totally get it. It's just that you grabbed a job I had my eye on earlier, so I was wondering if–" I was already drawing out the sheaf of request papers and unfolding them.

"Which one?"

"Oh. The one for hunting down the pack of mutated wolves out in the woods behind the guild." He tapped a finger on one sheet, which was undecorated and had basically just the bare essentials. I handed it to him and folded up the other two. He stared down at it with amazement as I shoved the other two into my waistband and turned to go. "Are you really okay just giving this to me?" he called after me. I shrugged again.

"I have two others, and that was the cheapest of the bunch. I don't need it." I smiled at him over my shoulder, a real warm smile. I needed it, right then. It lifted a tiny corner of the burden weighing on my heart. "Go ahead and take it." I was almost at the guild doors when he called out again.

"Let's take this job together!" I swung around to face him, puzzled.

"What?"

NATSU

"Natsu, you're never going to make it, you know," Gray told me pessimistically. I ignored him and kept packing. "I mean, Cyprus is weeks away even if you take a fast train directly there! Come on, face it. You'll have to meet her some other way." I balled up the last piece of clothing and shoved it down deep into the bag. Piling the food Mira had made for me and Happy on top, I turned my deepening frown on Gray.

"You want Lucy to come back, don't you?" He crossed his arms, and I copied him. We stood there, toe to toe, fire and ice.

"Of course I do! But she's given you an impossible task, Natsu. You can't reach Cyprus in less than seven days. Riding a train for that long might kill you, anyway." I glared at him.

"Obviously you're underestimating my awesome skills! Besides, I'm not going by train. Happy's gonna fly me." Happy, sitting on Natsu's hammock talking to Lily, paused in his conversation long enough to salute.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu grinned triumphantly and puffed out his chest.

"So whaddya say to that, huh, Ice Boy?" Gray got up in his face and stared him down, an ominous aura surrounding his body.

"You lookin' for a fight, Flamebrain?" Natsu's self-satisfied smirk morphed instantly into a matching sneer, and he shoved his face back into Gray's.

"You ready to lose, Stripper Freak?" Both stubborn heads were hit resoundingly by Erza's metal-encased fists.

"That's enough, you two!" She placed her hands on her hips and frowned from one to the other. "Natsu, are you ready to leave?"

"Aye," Natsu mumbled weakly. Erza nodded briskly, smiling a little.

"Good. And Happy?" The small blue cat leapt nimbly from the hammock and summoned his wings, gliding with ease.

"Aye!" Erza slapped Natsu on the back.

"Good! Then go, you two, and bring Lucy back safely!" Natsu grinned determinedly and walked outside, fist held high. Happy flew just overhead, smiling from ear to ear.

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu roared, excited. The air around him began to shimmer with heat, like the space above pavement on a hot day. "Let's go get Lucy!" Happy grabbed his collar, and together the two best friends soared off into the sky. The Fairy Tail guild stood and watched and cheered with all their might, raising their index fingers and thumbs as high as they could reach.

"_Fairy Tail_!"

LUCY

"What? Why do it together?" He smiled, holding out the job. I crossed my arms uncomfortably and glanced between it and his face. "It's not a particularly big job or anything. You should really just take it."

"I know, but I wanna do it together. It'll be fun, and it's been ages since I've gone on a job with someone. I admit, I'm also curious to see your magic and the level of skill you have. Since you're from Fairy Tail, I assume you're good." I bit my lip, embarrassed and oddly irritated.

"Don't put me on the same level as the others at Fairy Tail," I said, unable to meet his eyes. My fingers clenched in my shirt. "I'm nothing compared to Natsu or Erza." Purple Head only laughed.

"Isn't everybody? Those two are incredible! I'm not saying you have to measure up to those two monsters. I just think you have more potential than you give yourself credit for. I saw you at the Grand Magic Games. You were fantastic. That crazy spell you did at the end of your individual battle – what was it called? Something impressive. Anyway," he continued, his face animated. I hadn't known one person could have so many expressions. "I'd really like to see you in action on a job. Please, will you tag along and help me out?" I sighed, flattered despite myself.

"Well..." I muttered reluctantly. "It can't hurt." He smiled widely, exposing all his teeth. It was a wolf-like action, and it sent chills down my arms. "I'm going now," I said, suddenly eager to put some distance between us. "I'll meet you in six days in front of the guild, okay? I'll just have to do these other jobs first." I patted the crumpled papers in my waistband. He smiled normally this time, and I told myself the feeling before had been nothing.

"Sure thing! Good luck." I nodded and left, walking out into the cool night air. It was dark, but the lamps dotting the street were lit, so I could see enough to get back to the apartment. As I went, I planned my week. I can do these two jobs in five days, and then we'll finish up the last job on the sixth day. _On the seventh day, I can't leave until late afternoon, so I guess I can go sightseeing or hang out at Sabertooth. I should say goodbye to Holland, too. I told him I'd be staying a while..._

I couldn't help relaxing a little at the thought of Holland's smiling face. He'd grow up to be pretty handsome. Soon, he'd have girls from all over crawling over him – he'd have to beat them off with a stick. I giggled, the sound ringing out clearly in the silence.

"What do we have here?" a silky voice murmured from the shadows of a nearby alley. I flinched automatically and spun to face the three men who emerged. They wore black beat-up jackets and torn jeans that sagged below their waists. One in particular looked more menacing than the others, his appearance more exaggerated. He grinned, making me feel slimy, and leered at me. Or, rather, at my chest. I flushed and covered my cleavage as best as I could._ I should really stop letting Virgo pick out my outfits_. "Hey, girlie," the leader said. "Want to have some fun with us?" I took a slow step backwards.

"No thanks. Could you leave me alone?" My eyes darted nervously from one to the next. "I'm kind of in a hurry. My boyfriend is waiting for me." A lie, obviously. But these kinds of thugs usually left girls alone if they said there was someone waiting for them, right?

"Aw, don't be like that," an underling said, reaching for me. "We just want to play a little, that's all." The third one nodded, licking his lips.

"Stay away from me!" I swung my leg up and kicked their leader as hard as I could in the groin, sending him crumpling to the ground. The other two backed up a little, wary. I noted with satisfaction that they kept their hands near their crotches in case I tried to attack one of them next. I allowed myself a small grin of triumph. But I forgot to pay attention to the man still on the ground.

"Stupid bitch," he snarled, staggering to his feet. In his hand glinted a knife. It was clearly recently sharpened, with a wicked edge and long blade. "You'll pay for that!" He lunged forward. I dodged, but not fast enough. It nicked my cheek, slicing the soft skin. I didn't have to touch the wound to know I was bleeding.

The three men laughed loudly. Their boss flipped the knife a couple times, obviously pleased with himself.

_He won't be so smug for much longer._

"Oh, now you've done it," I said quietly. The men were still laughing. I took my time sorting through my keys, deciding which one to use. _Not this one. Not this one, either. No, no, no..._ "I was willing to let you off the hook as long as you didn't fight back. So stupid..." I sighed. Honestly, using a key wasn't nearly as satisfying as beating them to a pulp myself, but I really wanted to take a shower. My shirt was brittle, like if I moved too much, it would snap. I had bruises I wanted to soak, too. "I don't have time for you jokers." The biggest, stupidest-looking one of the bunch poked the leader.

"Hey, Taga, she's saying somethin', and she's foolin' around with her keys." _No, not this one either. Nope, no, nuh-uh._ Finally, my fingers brushed against a particularly familiar key.

_There we go._

I looked up, and grinned like I'd seen Natsu do before, when he was royally pissed off and ready to kick some serious ass. Or, as he liked to put it, "all fired up." Judging from the terrified looks I got, I looked insane, which was just the image I was going for. "Too bad, guys. Looks like time's up." I swept the golden key into the air in front of me and turned it in an invisible lock. "Open! Gate of the Bull – Taurus!" An enormous minotaur creature appeared between me and the thugs, arms crossed and muscles bulging. His axe was slung across his broad back as usual. He really was quite cool from behind.

He ruined it when he turned around. "Lady Lucy!" he mooed. "You look fabulous as always today!" I smiled uncomfortably at him. _And you're perverted as always, old man._

"Thanks, Taurus. Would you mind taking out these bozos for me? I'm exhausted." I stretched and yawned, wincing at my sore muscles.

"I would be MOOOORE than happy too, Lady Lucy!" he bellowed, charging the three thugs. By this time, they were hugging each other and wailing for their mothers. I guess giant axe-wielding bull men do have that effect on people.

Two minutes later, I was back at the apartment building, unlocking the door of my temporary sleeping quarters. That was absolutely all it would ever be, because without the other idiots from Fairy Tail filling the rooms, it couldn't be home. Without them, home had no meaning.

Stupidly, I held my breath as I flicked on the lights, half expecting to see Natsu and Happy snoring away on my bed. But the room was empty, just as I'd known it would be. I stood there in the doorway for several minutes, just staring blankly at the bedroom.

I hated it. I hated this lifeless space that looked so much like my home and wasn't, never would be.

The bathroom was first. I tore down the shower curtains, balled them up, and threw them into the tub. Then I opened all the drawers and dumped everything onto the floor. Makeup, skin cleansers, hairbrushes, toothpaste, my toothbrush, everything was on the floor. _Erza never cried her eyes out in this bathroom._ Fiercely grinding the heels of my hands into my eyes to hold back the tears, I ran back to the bedroom and flipped over the chairs, kicking them until my toes felt broken. _Gray never sat naked on these chairs._ Finally, I turned to the bed. Comforter, blankets, pillows, and sheets all went flying as I ripped everything from the mattress. It was strewn all over the floor and it still wasn't enough. I heaved the mattress off the frame and threw it into the desk with a thump. _Natsu never slept on this bed. Never did. Never will. Never._

_It's not enough._

Gasping, I crumpled to the floor in the middle of the wreckage. The tears wouldn't wait anymore. I was tired of pretending this was okay. I wanted to go back home. I wanted it to be how it had been before. I couldn't remember why I had left in the first place. Why had I screwed up the life I had loved so dearly?

Why had I given up being with Natsu?

**Ahhh, depressing stuff. But it gets better, never fear. I'll do my best to update soon. Oh, for all you GaLe shippers out there, (and those of you who know what's up and just haven't admitted it yet – _ThatGuyYouMetOnce_) I found the most amazing song to write a GaLe songfic for! It's called Irrelevant, by Lauren Aquilina. It's like it was written for Levy. I'm trying to write something for it, so I have a challenge for you guys: listen to the song and try writing a GaLe fic for it, and let me know! (If you really can't stand GaLe the way Grayza makes me want to vomit, you could try writing one for a different pairing.) I'd love to see what you all come up with.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sweet Lord, I finished. I know it's been a gazillion years since I updated. Sorry. I had a period of uninspiration. Spellcheck is telling me that isn't a word, but screw it. It sounds better than uninspiredness. Which also isn't a word. Whatevs.**

**That isn't important! I did it! Yay for new chapters! Seriously, yay isn't a word? Stupid spellcheck. So. Um. Before you all start thinking I'm a nutball, let's get to the dedications.**

**Dedicated to gwb620! Special thanks to WhiteWinterStar, KillerCupcakes, FrozenFireLight, LeahMineStar, OtakuLover46, presley-chan, rebma426, and thunderbeany23! Yay for new reviewers! Love you guys! Huffah and all that jazz!**

**Speaking of all that jazz, you oughta know the drill. Review! Favorite! Follow! Oh, and for those of you who are lame (no worries, I still love you) and won't follow me cuz it's too much trouble to keep up with my story, check out ThatGuyYouMetOnce! He's got a great story that's basically finished, he's just gonna write an epilogue-y type thingum. Even if you are following me (extra luvs) definitely check him out!**

**AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU THE LONG-PROCRASTINATED CHAPTER 13!**

I woke up late next morning with puffy red eyes and a sore throat. I looked the same as I had last night – dirty, bruised, clothes torn. The bright sunshine cut through my windows and onto my face where I lay on the floor. Sitting up, I took in the carnage. It looked worse in the sunlight. It was going to take me hours to clean the whole mess up.

Instead, I took the easy way out. "Virgo!"

"Is it punishment, princess?" I rolled my eyes. At least one thing never changed.

"No, Virgo. Could you please clean this up? I'm gonna–" It then occurred to me that my bathroom was currently also in a state of chaos. I ran a hand through my hair. Or tried to. It got stuck in a snarl of knotted hair and mud. "I'm gonna take a walk. Make sure to get the bathroom too, please." She bowed.

"Very good, princess." I nodded, and throwing on some clean clothes, I went back outside. As soon as I left the apartment, an argument assailed my ears.

"I'm telling you, we should leave her alone! You don't even know she's living here anyway!" The familiar voice made my ears prick up.

"But she has to be living around here somewhere!" a second voice insisted. "And it's not like we're bothering her. I just wanted to ask her some stuff!" I followed the conversation to a bridge crossing the canal, where two boys sat on the low wall.

"Looking for someone?" They almost fell into the water.

"Lucy Heartfilia!" Sam exclaimed. "See, Holland, I told you!" I crossed my arms and noticed how their eyes widened as they took in my appearance.

"Um, Lucy, are you okay?" Holland asked hesistantly. "You look kinda..." I smiled.

"Like a mess, I know. That's what I get for not showering after practice. Thing is, my shower's not really working right now, so I was gonna go wash off at Saber." Holland nodded, training his eyes on the canal water. Sam looked slightly deflated.

"So you're not going on any jobs?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I never said that. I have one lined up for today, actually." I fished around in the pockets of my sweats until my fingers encountered a crackly piece of paper. "Um, I have to deal with a sea monster infestation out in the port town near here. Negry-something-or-other..." I squinted.

"You mean Negrinanthus?" Holland supplied. "I hear they have great fish out there." Unconsciously, my fingers tightened on the stiff paper.

"Oh?" Happy would love this more than anything. He'd be goofing off the whole time, fishing and trying to eat the sea monsters. For once, I didn't try to block the thoughts of Fairy Tail. Instead, I let them wash over me and clean my wounds. If they stung from the salt, so be it. "Fish, huh?" I sighed. "That little idiot would love this job." I smiled. Even so, I could still feel the sadness seep into the lines of my face. "Have you ever eaten a wingfish?" The boys shook their heads, eyes wide and cautious.

"Are they good?"

I laughed. "No, horrible. I wouldn't eat them even if I was starving. They're hard to catch too, a real pain in the ass. But..." I looked up at the sky, the changing clouds and smooth blue. "Those were the good times." I had lost them, I could tell. They watched me with concern in their innocent child's eyes. "Have you ever done something you really, really, really regret? And you would do anything to take it back, but you look back and you can't imagine doing anything different, because that was the only option that didn't tear you apart?" I'd gone crazy for the third time in two days, but I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. I needed to say it, to make this my reality. I regretted leaving. I wanted to go back. I couldn't.

"Did something happen to you, Lucy?" Holland's serious voice was hard and flat. "Did something happen when you were at Fairy Tail? Because if it did, I'll kick those jerks' asses myself. You can tell me–" I laughed again. It was brittle, and I could picture it shattering to fragments on the ground. Already walking away, I ruffled Holland's soft hair with a muddy hand.

"Thanks, Holland. But this was already a long, long time ago." My hand lifted and I was off the bridge, ten feet away, thirty feet, fifty.

"Lucy!" I didn't turn around. "I'm going to be a wizard and join Fairy Tail! Definitely wait for me!" One hand lifted into the air, the same hand I used to pat his head. The same hand I had gotten marked, so many years ago, with the design I treasured more than the world.

"I'll see you around, Holland. Be a great wizard someday – make me proud, okay?" I felt, more than heard, when the tears started sliding down his cheeks and dripping to the stones at his feet. He didn't wail, just stood there and cried. And I walked away into the distance.

The Sabertooth guild hall was pretty much empty when I entered. It seemed that the Cyprus wizards weren't early risers. I went straight upstairs and knocked on Sting's door. There was no answer, so I just opened the door and stepped inside. His office really wasn't much of an office – it was small, and gave me the distinct impression that it had once been an unused broom closet. The mahogany desk dominated most of the space, and almost all of what was left was dedicated to wall-to-wall shelves of random junk. Even the floor was scattered with the overflow. A gleam caught my eye and I turned to see the lacrima Sting had contacted Natsu on yesterday. My fingers itched to smash it to glittering pieces on the wood floor, but common sense stopped me. What would destroying a lacrima solve? All it would do is get Sting mad at me, and I'd most likely have to pay for the damn thing. So I ignored it and picked my way carefully to the door that presumably led to the shower. Lost in thought, I went in without realizing that the shower was, in fact, already on.

I walked into the steam and came face-to-face with a wide-eyed, wet-haired, naked Sting.

My first instinct: to slap him as hard as was humanly possible. My second: to scream. Loudly. I only shut up when a hand clamped firmly over my mouth, forcing me to stop and breathe. I fought my third instinct with all my might, because I got the feeling that Sting would not react well to being bitten on the hand after a girl walked in on his shower, assaulted him, and screamed like_ he_ was the one who had invaded _her_ privacy.

"Lucy," he hissed in my ear, still holding on to my mouth like I might start shrieking again if he let go. "What the goddamn hell do you think you're doing?" I peeled his fingers away and surged forward, away from him. I made sure to keep my back to him as I talked.

"I was going to borrow your shower, but I wasn't paying attention and I didn't realize anyone was in here. Yukino said you never used it."

"I'm definitely going to kill her." The sound of teeth grinding filled the tiny room.

"Don't–" I started to turn around, but I remembered Sting's state of dress just in time. I snapped back to position and stood like that stiffly, fiercely reprimanding myself. Sting sighed loudly.

"You can turn around. I put on a towel, it's fine." I was sure my face was twice as red as it felt. I turned slowly, still a little wary. He was wearing a towel, though, so I told myself to relax. It was just Sting, after all.

"Well, um, anyway..." I fidgeted. "Don't be mad at Yukino, it was my fault." He gave me the eye and crossed his muscular arms. He was in good shape, I couldn't help but note. As good as Natsu, probably. They didn't have the same charm, though. Sting obviously felt me checking him out, because a self-satisfied smirk landed squarely on his mouth. Natsu, however, wouldn't have noticed, or even if he did, he would have assumed I was assessing his fighting prowess.

Such an idiot.

"Anyway, Blondie, doesn't the place you're renting have a shower? Why the hell would you use mine?" I stared at the floor. I definitely couldn't say, _Because I threw a tantrum last night and ripped down the shower curtains and completely trashed the bathroom._

"Um, because it's broken right now. The landlady says it won't get fixed until tonight and I really can't wait that long to shower." I tapped my toes on the tiled floor. "Please. I'll be out of your hair in ten minutes tops." Sting rubbed his head, ruffling his blond hair into a state of enormous disarray. He looked sort of like a blond Natsu, actually. The thought made me shudder. Gross, gross, gross.

"Fine," he groaned finally. "Ten minutes, and then I'm coming in here and kicking you out. Got it?" I rolled my eyes and shooed him out.

"Yeah, yeah. I got you. Go get dressed. I'll be gone before you're done." As soon as he was gone, I stripped off my t-shirt and sweats and stepped into the still-running hot water. It streamed down my back, cutting through layers of dirt and grease. Muscles tensed and relaxed, and bruises dissolved into faded yellow patches under my skin. I sighed and felt around for the soap. There was a ledge behind me, holding dozens of gels and shampoos and conditioners and body washes. There were exfoliants, scrub brushes, shower caps (weird) and razors all lined up or hanging from fancy hooks. I was alarmed to find that even the soap was extravagant – there were at least five bars of soap in all different colors, shapes, sizes, and scents. I grabbed the least eye-catching of the bunch and proceeded to scrub away the filth caking my skin. I repeated the process with shampoo and conditioner, eradicating tangles at lightspeed. After briefly considering shaving my legs, I decided it wasn't worth it and got out of the shower. I had five minutes to spare, and judging by his shower, Sting wouldn't even be close to dressed. Snatching up a towel, I dried off and slipped back into my clothes. They were soft and warm, and they reminded all the more of my usual mostly-skin outfits. I shook it off and left the room.

The office was empty, so I closed the door quietly behind me and crept to the shelves. I stared for a long moment at my reflection in the opaque crystal lacrima and then lifted it cautiously off the shelf. Every secomd that passed as I went through the steps to connect to another lacrima screamed that this was a mistake, that I was going to regret this, that I could still turn back. I tapped the top of the sphere and rings of white slid through the black.

A minute later, an achingly familiar face appeared, eyebrows shooting up when she saw my face.

"Lucy? What–" she broke off. "Are you alright?" I nodded, even though the tears on my cheeks obviously said otherwise. I hadn't been okay when I called her, but just seeing her was enough. Smiling at my friend through my clouded vision made me okay.

"Erza," I choked out, "I have to tell you something."

NATSU

"Happy, how much farther till we get there?" I asked for the fifth time in four minutes. Happy just groaned.

"Shut up. I'm the one doing all the work here. Lucy's gonna owe me a ton of fish when we get to Cyprus." I crossed my arms and swung my feet, immensely bored. Cloud-watching had gotten tedious after the first three hours, there was nothing to catch for food in the sky, and I couldn't get to sleep. Lucy kept popping into my head as soon as I started to drift off, waking me up.

Frustrated, I opened my mouth and roared into the horizon. I startled Happy, and he twitched so violently he lost his grip on me. I spiraled downwards, crashing through clouds and then tree branches before finally landing with a boom on the forest floor. Happy came down after me, screaming loud enough to wake the dead. I sat up, rubbing the growing bump on my head. "That hurt, dammit..." Slowly, I surveyed our surroundings. We were in a thick part of the woods, heavily populated by ancient elms and oaks. A deep layer of leaves had softened my fall and stuck to my legs as I stood.

"Natsu..." Happy's fearful voice drew my attention to his small form at my feet. He was quivering with terror, and his eyes were wide as saucers. "What are we gonna do about them?" I followed his trembling paw to the painted ring of warriors surrounding us. They leveled their enormous bows at us in a wave, each nocked with an arrow aimed straight at my head.

I whispered back, "Think they're friendly?"

**I'm doing this really quick cuz I have to go but I want to get this posted. I'm not really sure why Holland's crying. Maybe he has a crush on Lucy or something. It works, so I'm rolling with it. Anyways, what'd you think of chapter 13? Hope it was worth the wait. I promise to try to update more regularly! People who are so ambiguous about this are annoying, I know. I'll do my best. You know how you can help? Take a wild guess. **

**REVIEW! FAVORITE! FOLLOW! Thanks so much to you guys who stuck with me through my inspiration-drought (poetic, right?)! I love you all! Bye for now!**

**Giselle**


	14. Chapter 14

**Look, this was posted so much faster than last chapter! Yay for me! Anyways, yeah. Remember, we left Happy and Natsu surrounded by tribespeople, so let's see what happens...**

**Dedicated to rebma726. Special thanks to WhiteWinterStar (my rockstar reviewer), gwb620 (who is equally awesome), DarkLadyRevan41 (we love pretty much all the same ships!), SnowFairyPrincess (who reviewed TWICE IN A ROW!), and KillerCupcakes (dude, how AWESOME is your name? Pretty damn awesome!). Thanks, you guys! Oh, also a quick shoutout to Kosmotius, who PMs me all sorts of ideas and stuff. :)**

**Remember to review, favorite, and follow! **

**Oh, a note to SnowFairyPrincess – I can't figure out what you said in your first review. If you could PM me with another phrasing, I'd appreciate it. I want to be able to process everyone's comments and make adjustments according to your opinions. **

**ANYWAYS, PLEASE ENJOY CHAPTER 14!**

Happy shook his head and took a slow, hesitant step back, towards me. Immediately, half of the painted men trained their arrows on him instead. He whimpered, and I decided enough was enough. They could threaten me all they wanted, but I drew the line at aiming their weapons at my friend. "Hey," I said, scooping Happy into my arms. I could still feel the fear radiating from his body in waves. "Who the hell are you jerks, and what do you want?"

A slim figure broke formation and came forward. At first glance, I thought it was a guy, but a second look revealed feminine features. She stared at me fearlessly, and for a split second I had to admire her courage. "We are the tribe of this forest, the Ramani. And you are trespassing on our lands. I do not know how you got here, but–"

I laughed. The sound was loud in the whispery sort of silence you find in the woods. "What, is that all? Sorry 'bout that!" Depositing Happy on my shoulder and walking forward, I held out my hand with a good-natured smile. "Yeah, that was our bad. See, we were flying overhead and Happy dropped me. Didn't mean to end up on your turf or anything." The girl shook my hand warily, her narrowed brown eyes watching me with cautious intelligence. But already, my thoughts were back on my purpose. How long would this delay us? How much time could we afford to waste? How soon could we get away? "So, yeah, nice to meet you. But we really should be going–"

"Not so fast." A slender hand shot out to grasp my wrist as I slunk backwards. "My father will want to meet you, to ensure you mean no harm to our tribe or this forest. Come." With an imperious tug, she was dragging us away into the depths of the forest. She was ridiculously strong, and all I could do was be pulled along and watch Lucy's smiling face fade into the distance.

LUCY

By the time I finished spilling my guts, Erza had discovered several new expressions not formerly known to humanity, and I had managed to stop crying. Now she and I were silent, sitting in Sting's claustrophobic little office, not meeting each other's eyes. "So. That's why..." I said finally. "That's why I left. And... I don't know, Erza, but no matter what I do, it feels wrong. Staying at the guild felt wrong, so I left, and now being away feels wrong too and I want to go home but I don't know how and I don't think I can." I ended in a rush of breath and buried my face in my hands. "This is pointless. I'm going in circles and I can't get out of this damned loop."

"Lucy." I didn't look up. "Lucy, look at me." Slowly, my eyes traced their way upward to meet hers. She smiled at me. "How long have you been agonizing over this?" I frowned.

"I don't know. A long time." Erza tilted her head and gazed at me.

"And how long have you been in love with that idiot?" I let my eyes close, giving in to the faded memories of days gone by. Meeting an pink-haired weirdo who was looking for his adoptive father – a dragon. Treating that same idiot to highly embarrassing lunch as thanks. Being saved for the first time by him. Following him to Fairy Tail, and finding my new family there. All the years that came after.

"I don't know that either. Maybe since I met him. Maybe ten seconds after that. Maybe ten days later. Maybe a year after." I sighed. "A very long time ago."

I could feel the warmth of Erza's laugh through the cold crystal sphere. "And what was it like when you loved him without worrying about what came after that?"

I paused. Before I started worrying... It was funny, I had almost forgotten there was such a time. But..."It was... indescribable."

I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. I don't know what I expected to find there. An explanation? Justification? Comfort? But I didn't find any of those things.

"Is that what they call happiness, Erza?"

Instead, I found peace.

NATSU

"Hey, let me go! I have to get going! If I don't hurry, I'm going to miss her!" The stupid tribe woman still wouldn't let go, and we just kept going farther into the damned forest. "I'm serious! I'm not here to spy on you people or anything, so LET ME GO ALREADY!" She didn't even flinch.

"Meet my father, prove your innocence, and then you may be on your way." That was all she would say. Prove my innocence how? Put on a puppet show for them? And how long was it going to take? We had already been walking for ten minutes! No, five? Maybe fifteen? An hour? Anyway, a long time!

"Natsu," Happy whispered in my ear. He was still on my shoulder, clinging to my neck. "We might not make it if this takes too long." I nodded grimly.

"Yeah." I directed my attention back to the girl and took a deep breath. "HEY YOU! LET US GO RIGHT NOW! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH HERE, LADY!"

I suppose I was a little too loud, especially since I was shouting right in her ear.

She let go of my wrist and sank to the ground, one hand clamped to her ear. Her eyes were shut tight and she was biting her lip. On my shoulder, I could hear Happy freaking out, screaming that I'd killed her and he hadn't meant for me to do that. I sighed and crouched next to the girl.

"Hey. You okay?" Her chin dipped a fraction of an inch and lifted again, which I took to be a yes. I stood. "Great! Then we'll just–"

"IDIOT!" I cringed and twisted my head to frown at Happy.

"What now? I made sure she was okay." He glowered at me.

"What if she gets attacked or something? You probably caused semi-permanent damage to her ear. She won't be able to defend herself if we leave her here!" I slumped. Happy jumped off my shoulder and landed lightly on the ground.

"But..." I grasped for a reason, any reason. "What about those guys who were with her before? Aren't they following us? Why can't they take her themselves?" My partner's already-large eyes widened.

"And what do you think they'll do to us when they find their leader incapacitated? Hmm?" He was glaring now. "Just hurry it up so we can leave already!" I heaved an enormous sigh and lifted the girl over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Wait," she whispered. "Put me down. I'll be fine. You don't have to–"

"No can do, lady. Happy's right – I can't leave you there." I smiled at her. "Consider this my apology." She huffed, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it.

"Very well. But you'll have to tell me your name as well." I shrugged, starting off into the trees in the direction we had been going before.

"I'm Natsu, and this guy here is Happy. He's a flying, talking cat from an island in the sky." I knit my brows. "Or was it a different dimension? I don't remember. Anyway, he's got some fancy name–"

"I'm an Exceed, Natsu," the feline in question interjected. "Nice to meet you, lady. I like fish." The girl slung over my shoulder laughed.

"How cute. And is there anything exceptional about you, Natsu, or are you just particularly loud?"

I grinned proudly. "Hell yeah there is! I'm a Fire Dragon-Slayer, and the two of us are members of Fairy Tail!"

"Isn't that the wizard guild that won the Grand Magic Games this year?" My grin widened.

"That's right. You get that kind of news out here?"

She never got a chance to reply, because we emerged into a huge encampment. People everywhere stopped what they were doing and stared at us with horror and fear. Happy nudged me. "Natsu, put her down now." I set the tribe girl on her feet, keeping my hands on her shoulders until I was sure she had her balance.

"Thank you–"

"LAKI!" She startled and swung around at high speed, swaying dizzily. Some guy with an elaborate red tattoo on half of his face was sprinting toward us, a decorated spear in hand. The men and women standing frozen had to scramble to get out of his way.

"Muranu, wait!" The girl moved unsteadily to stand between the charging dude and me. "This boy is not an enemy!" The Muranu guy was forced to stop or impale his tribe member.

"Laki, what on earth are you doing protecting this boy? He attacked you!" he shouted, rage clear in his eyes. "He is an enemy of the tribe!" The tribe girl – Laki – gritted her teeth, and I realized her ear must still be sensitive. I frowned.

"He did not attack me. I was bringing him here against his will and he shouted in my ear. It was my fault for being unprepared." The trees behind us rustled, and I knew without looking that the men who had been with her were there too.

The scowl still wasn't leaving his face. "Then what was he doing in our forest in the first place?" Laki flinched, her hand lifting to protect her ear. I stepped forward.

"We were flying over, but there was an accident and we fell down here. We didn't mean to trespass on your land. It was our bad."

"Flying over?" Muranu laughed skeptically. "On what? And where is it? Your story has too many holes, pink-haired boy." I glared at the jerk and reached to pat Happy's head.

"Happy, show him what I mean."

"Aye sir!" Happy shouted, sprouting wings and soaring high above the trees. The tribe people gasped and cheered. "How do you like this, you jerk? Nyeahhhhhhh!" He stuck out his tongue and made a face at the reddening tribe guy. Muranu's fingers clenched on the wooden spear shaft.

"The hell..." he muttered. "How dare you... MAKING A FOOL OF ME!" He shoved Laki out of the way and charged, roaring at the top of his lungs. I grabbed the spearhead and lit my hand on fire, burning it to molten stone and letting it drip out of my fist to the ground. Watching it, I listened to his labored breaths and waited for his head to clear a little.

"What do you think you're doing, pushing her like that?"

"Huh?"

I glared at him, disgusted. "What are you doing pushing your friend aside like that? She's not some object to be shoved out of the way! You're supposed to protect your friends, not hurt them." I turned, casting a last scornful look at him out of the corner of my eye. "Treat her like a person, bastard." I lifted my head to find Happy circling the clearing and called him down. "OI! We're leaving!" He came swooping down and caught me by the back of my shirt, lifting us both back into the open air.

"NATSU!" I glanced down and smiled at Laki, who was staring up at me with wide, happy eyes. "THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP!" She was already shrinking and disappearing between the trees. I grinned hugely and waved.

"SEE YOU AGAIN, LAKI!"

LUCY

If there's anything I have learned in my life, it's that peace is fleeting. Sometimes you get a few days, or if you're really lucky, months or years. In this case, it lasted about five seconds.

"But, Erza, what am I supposed to do?" The beautiful and terrible Titania Erza shrugged.

"How should I know?" I gaped.

"But..." She shrugged again, this time with a wink and a thumbs-up.

"You'll figure it out!"

I sighed. That was _so_ not helpful. In the silence, the noises from downstairs came through the floorboards, and I realized that I had to go before Sting came back and found me still in his office. "Sorry, Erza, I have to go. I promised I'd be out of here by now. Thanks for listening to me." I smiled slowly. "I miss you guys."

Erza smiled back. "Come home soon, okay? We all miss you too." The screen blinked out before I could reply. After a moment, I got up and set the ball back on the shelf.

"Right, time to go make some money!"

**Next chapter should be interesting. Hope you guys enjoyed this one! (Random side note: fro some reason, I keeping accidentally hitting the caps lock button, but it never works when I actually mean to hit it. Irony sucks.) **

**Oh, btw, ****_ThatGuyYouMetOnce _****just finished his Lucy x OC fic ****Bonds and Scars, ****so you should definitely check that out, especially if you're into action/fight fics. He also started a Rogura fic which is shaping up to be pretty good. I recommend both!**

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be up by this weekend. It's unlikely. But I promise it'll be finished by next weekend (the 22nd and 23rd, I think). Make sure to review by then if you want me to put you on here.**

**Later! ~Giselle**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! New chapter, yay! Sorry it's a little short. But hopefully you'll like it. We shall see, we shall see. Ooh, I think I spy a segue. If you want to show your appreciation, review! Favorite! Follow! Actually, you've seen me do this so many times you could probably write it for me.**

**Dedicated to WhiteWinterStar! Special thanks to gwb620, DawnRising, BookNeed007, Kosmotius, Guest (I'm always especially flattered when Guests comment cuz they're not even logged in but they're leaving a review!), KillerCupcakes, and AnonymouslyUnknownlyWriter (dude your NAME)! Okay, so remember, Lucy was just talking to Erza, and now she's off to do her request.**

Downstairs, there was a surprise waiting for me.

"Oh, Lucy," Yukino called, seeing me walk down the stairs. "There's someone who wants to see you." My first thought was Natsu, but that had to be impossible. Even that idiot couldn't make it all the way to Cyprus in a day. It wasn't physically possible.

Then Sam stepped out from behind Yukino. "Hey, Lucy!" he greeted me cheerfully. I blinked.

"Hi, Sam."

"Are you going on that job now?" I nodded, bewildered. What could he possibly want? An autograph or something?

"Yeah, I was about to leave. Did you need something?" He grinned hugely.

"Would you mind taking me with you?" I gaped, but he didn't pause. "I've always wanted to go on a job request with a real wizard, but the Saber guys all say I'm too young." I glanced at Yukino, who was frowning slightly.

"I don't know, Sam... I don't want you to get hurt." He clapped his hands together in front of him and bowed his head.

"Please! I promise not to get in your way – I just want to watch!" I sighed and brushed my fingers through my hair, tying it up with a scrap of ribbon.

"Yeah, all right. But you have to swear you'll be careful and stay as far away as you can when I'm working so you don't get hurt, got it?" Sam nodded emphatically, his smile stretching so wide it seemed to go past his face.

"I understand! Thank you!"

I laughed and turned to go, but a hand on my arm held me back. "Lucy," Yukino said worriedly. "Are you sure this will be alright? Won't he be a hindrance?" I waved off her concerns with a blithe smile.

"Don't worry about it. He's a good kid – he won't be any trouble." I followed Sam out the door, waving over my shoulder. "See you later!"

Surprise number two hit me as soon as I stepped over the threshold – Holland was waiting outside, arguing with Sam. "What were you doing? Why would you–" he stopped when he noticed me laughing. "Lucy!" I probably made a face similar to his – surprise mixed with embarrassment. I hadn't actually expected to see him for a while, and yet there he was.

"Hey, Holland. What's up?" He turned his face down and stuffed his hands deep in his pockets, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the cobblestones.

"Nothing much. We were just leaving." He grabbed Sam's arm and started dragging him away, but his friend jerked away.

"Lucy's taking me with her to Negrinanthus," he announced. Holland's shoulders tightened visibly. Sam didn't notice and plowed onwards. "She said it was fine if I came along, and that I could watch and everything!" Holland glared fiercely at him and then looked at me with pleading eyes.

"I'm really sorry that he bothered you, Lucy. You probably don't want him along, so I'll just–"

"Actually, I'd love to have some company," I interrupted, trying to interpret his beseeching expression. "It gets lonely doing jobs on my own sometimes." What I didn't say hung behind my eyes: that I was lonely since Natsu wasn't with me anymore. That without my best friends, I was cripplingly alone. "You should come along too, Holland," I said. It was a shot in the dark, but his eyes widened in a split second of excitement.

"Can I really?" I nodded, feeling a little better to know those two were coming with me.

"Of course! Now let's get going, shall we?"

NATSU

Sometime after sunset, we landed in a large town nestled in the hills. I had hoped we could keep flying through the night, but Happy's wings were timed out and he looked exhausted. So we found the local guild and went inside to see if we could get a room. A large man sat at a table in the corner of the empty hall, napping.

"Hey, old man!" I shouted, jolting him awake.

"What? What? Are you here for your gold, pirates?" He blinked and stared at me for a long second. "Oh, just a dream. Need something, kid?"

I crossed my arms. "Two things. Do you have any extra rooms for a night?" He pointed upstairs. A narrow staircase I hadn't noticed before wound up into the upper floor.

"Yeah, one up there. What else?"

"Did a blonde girl named Lucy from Fairy Tail come by here recently? She's a Celestial Spirit wizard, got a whip–"

The man spat on the floor. "Yeah, I seen her. She came in here a few weeks ago asking to take some of our job requests, like Fairy Tail don't have enough of their own. Best guild in Fiore, my foot. Just of bunch of cowards, if you ask me. What are they doing letting in weak trash like that blonde girl? Little girls like her are better off playing with their dollies at home." He spat again, a smug smile spreading across his fat face.

"Old man, what's the name of this guild?"

"Astral Sphere," he said, puffing up with pride like a balloon. "And I'm the master here, Gormly Grinsnaw."

If looks could kill, that damned old man would have died a thousand times. As it was, I almost killed him anyway. Uncrossing my arms and leaning down, I cracked my knuckles one by one. "Well, you can take it from a member of Fairy Tail that nobody insults our guild, or our family. If you're not careful, you might find this guild burned to the ground tomorrow morning. Say another word about Lucy, and I'll tear out that nasty tongue of yours. Understand?" I snarled. He nodded, slack-jawed and sweaty with fear. I straightened, wanting to punch something so bad my hands tingled. "Happy, we're leaving!"

"Aye sir!"

I stormed out of the guild, Happy close behind. When we were in the night air, my temper cooled a little and I took a deep breath. "Damn fat bastard," I growled under my breath. Talking about Lucy like that... I almost turned around and went back in, but Happy restrained me. "Where are we gonna sleep tonight, Natsu?"

I scratched my head, at a loss. "That's a good question." I glanced around. "Is there an inn in this town?" Happy pointed with a paw to a shabby little two-story house with a sign swinging above the door. My heightened senses allowed me to see through the darkness and verify that it was indeed an inn.

"Let's see if they've got extra rooms," I suggested, starting up the steps. I pushed the door and stepped into a dimly-lit living room. Or at least I think it was. There were scattered couches and chairs, where various cats slept. A small desk stood to the side, manned by a tiny, ancient woman reading a book. I approached her, smiling cheerfully. "Hey, lady, I was just–"

"Don't you have any manners?" she snapped without looking up. "Address me as ma'am, or innkeeper." I faltered, but tried again.

"So, innkeeper, um–"

"Speak properly when addressing me, young man! I don't want to hear any of those 'filler words' you youngsters use these days." I slammed my fist on the desk with a thud, pissed off.

"I just want a room, Grandma! I'm not here for talking lessons." She finally glanced up with a sweet, grandmotherly smile.

"Oh, why didn't you say so? Right this way, young man." She rose creakily and, picking up a dull key from the desk, led me down a hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. Unlocking one of the doors, she ushered me in with another smile. She gasped when her gaze landed on Happy. "What a handsome cat! What breed is he? Is this spectacular coat color natural?"

"I'm an Exceed," Happy explained, flying up to the grandma's eye level. "I can fly and talk." She gasped again.

"Oh! How fascinating! Young man," she continued with an ominous glint in her watery blue eyes, "Would you lend this Exceed to me? I'm sure he'd make fantastic specimen." I did my best not to make a face at that. As far as I knew, specimens were taken apart, examined, and never seen again.

"I don't think Happy would really be good at that," I said, shutting the door in her face and locking it from the inside. Hopefully, she didn't have spare keys.

**What'd you think? I'm pretty proud of myself for coming up with the weird old lady OC. Ooh, I just had one of those creepy moments where I saw a shadow or something behind me in my reflection in the window. Ugh, hate that. Anyways, make sure you review, follow, and favorite! Love you guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Are you seeing how fast that was? It's been, like, two days! I am so damn amazing even I can't believe it. But seriously, I got a bunch of reviews saying you guys wanted more soon, so here it is. Last chapter was short, too. But here you go! Love you guys – make sure to review, favorite and follow!**

**Dedicated to WhiteWinterStar! Special thanks to gwb620, AnonymouslyUnknownlyWriter, them3crazygirls, rebma726, and Manga Molly! You guys are the best for reviewing so fast! Anyway, enjoy!**

We didn't get much sleep that night. The inn was clearly about to fall apart, because it creaked and groaned like a living thing. Ordinarily that wouldn't have stopped me from sleeping, but occasionally something would come scratching at the door. At first I thought it was just one of the old lady's cats, but then I heard someone whispering, "Here, kitty, kitty." I barely managed to close my eyes after that.

Needless to say, we left early. The old lady was nowhere to be found, so we just left some money on the front desk and let ourselves out. The sky was barely light when Happy and I flew into the sky. I was in charge of the map, which was ridiculously large and kept flapping in my face. It took me forever just to figure out where Astral Sphere's town was located on it and then determine which direction Cyprus was in. "So, I think we're going northwest," I told Happy, squinting at the map. "Which is the way we should be going. Probably."

"Probably?" Happy repeated. "You think? Are we going this way or not?"

"Look, I'm the map guy, and you're the wings guy! Let me do my job, okay? If I say we should probably be going northwest, then we should probably go northwest. Which I think is this way. You got as problem?"

"Do you want to find Lucy?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"

"Then learn to read a map, dumbass!"

LUCY

"Ah, we're here!" I exclaimed, stepping off the train after the boys. The Negrinanthus train station was actually just a platform with a roof built atop a grassy hill that overlooked the sea. Steps led from the platform down the hill, where grass gave way easily to sand. We descended slowly, taking in the view. Hargeon had nothing on this place – it was absolutely gorgeous here. The sea was a beautiful azure blue, the sky a matching color. The sun blazing overhead made the waves sparkle as they crashed on the white sand beach, and you could even see dolphins playing in the distance.

At first, it didn't seem like the beach was inhabited. I cupped a hand over my eyes, trying to block the glare. I was wishing I'd brought sunglasses when a sudden tug on my shirt drew my attention. "Lucy, what's that?" Sam asked, peering out at the ocean. I blinked and followed his gaze to a wide brown smudge out on the waves. My first thought was that it was a enormous ship, but it never got any closer, and there was no reason for a ship of that size to be anchored so far from shore. I stared harder, willing it to take shape.

"Do you think that could be..."

"Excuse me, Miss!" I turned to see a guy standing next to a rowboat, waving at me. I moved closer curiously, Holland and Sam following me. "Are you here for the job request, Miss?" I nodded.

"That's right, the one about the sea monster. Are you from Ne– from the town?" The guy smiled.

"Yes. My name's Harry. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss." He extended his hand and I shook it with a laugh.

"Just call me Lucy. It's nice to meet you too, Harry." Holland stepped up next me, frowning at my new acquaintance.

"So where is this town of yours? 'Cause I don't see it." Harry pointed at the smudge we'd seen before.

"It's out on the ocean. I'm here to row you there." I smiled gratefully at him. I could just picture asking Aquarius to ferry us across to the town, if we ever even figured out that was where it was. It wasn't a pretty scene.

"Thanks," I said, stepping into the boat. Sam jumped in after me, leaving Holland and Harry on the beach. Holland eyed Harry with mistrust before getting in and settling in the back. Harry got in last and picked up the oars. Soon we were skimming across the water towards the blur that was steadily gaining definition. Eventually, it became apparent that it really was a town built on the water. Wooden platforms floated gently on the waves, supporting homes and stores. They were attached by tighly woven reed pathways. Rowboats similar to the one we sat in were tied to piers on the side facing us. The strangest part was the thick metal chains attached to each corner of the whole structure. They had been tossed over the edge and disappeared into the water. Each link looked about as long as my arm and as wide as my torso.

But by the time we could see all that, we could also see the damage the floating town had sustained. Pieces of platforms were unaccountably missing, like something had been tearing chunks out of the place. They were obviously patched up only temporarily, and you could tell it was barely keeping the town afloat.

There were also the people. They were quiet, almost silent, and drifted around the town like ghosts. I tried imagining Harry as one of them and couldn't. They were so lifeless. It was weird.

"A sea monster did all this?" Holland murmured, echoing my thoughts. "And what's up with these people? They look dead." Harry glanced at him.

"Yes, a sea monster. We call him Oreanthus, and we once worshipped him as our god. He protected our town for centuries." My breath caught. Their own god did this to them?

"Then why–" I gestured wordlessly at the carnage in front of our eyes.

"Because there was an incident a few months. A trader came through here, something that has not happened in a very long time. We were all so excited to buy this trader's goods that we forgot to present our monthly sacrifice to Oreanthus. He was enraged, and now no sacrifice will satisfy him. Unless someone defeats him, we will all be dead soon."

I swallowed. "Then, all these people are listless because their god is no longer their god." Harry nodded solemly as our boat bumped against an empty dock.

"They feel responsible, and at the same time, betrayed. They don't know who they will pray to when times become difficult."

I sighed. Having a god was an awful, controlling thing. People grew addicted to the idea of being able to blame their troubles on a higher power, and then congratulate themselves for being 'pure' when their troubles went away. Taking that away could be catastrophic. "All right," I said. "I understand the situation now. Is there a way to get him up here?" Harry hesitated.

"There is, but..." I understood. He was worried about the town.

"Can I do it from a boat? If I can row out a little, the town should be safe."

He was more enthusisastic about that idea. "By all means, go ahead. You'll just need a sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Sam cut in. "Is it big or small? Is it some sort of seabird? Ooh, maybe it's the trunk of an elephant! I read about that kind of ritual once." Harry laughed.

"No, it's a rare species of fish that live only in this area. Our ancestors settled this patch of sea for that very reason. They are called undia."

Before I could catch myself, I turned to see Happy's reaction to this statement. He'd be drooling up a storm, I knew it, his eyes sparkling with hungry excitement.

But the only one behind me to meet my gaze was Holland. I tried not to flinch and turned back around slowly, attempting and failing to make it look natural. "Hey, Lucy–"

"Harry, you're back." I glanced up to see an old man leaning on an elaborate stick, peering into the boat with rheumy eyes. "And I see you've brought the wizards. Good." He smiled kindly at me. "Hello, thank you for coming. I'm Harman, the town elder. I trust my grandson explained the situation to you?" I nodded, leaping nimbly from the rowboat and reaching down to help Sam out.

"Yes. I have a plan. I just need to borrow some sacrificial fish." Harman inclined his head.

"Then please follow me. We will provide you with everything you need." Sam, Holland and I trailed after him as he led us to the marketplace, where men and women called wares from their stalls. They fell silent when we passed, though.

"Oh, Harman, are these the wizards who are going to help us?" one man asked.

"Look at those two! They're just children!" another woman called to her friend. Holland bristled at that, but I put a hand on his shoulder.

"They're just worried about their town," I said in a low voice. "Don't get worked up." He grunted, and we kept walking until we reached a stall displaying fish. Some I recognized, but there was one I'd never seen before, with deep purple scales that shone red in the light. Harman pointed to it.

"This is undia, our greatest treasure." He nodded to the man behind the counter, who started wrapping up the fish with practiced ease. "It will call up him up if you set it on fire and drop it in the ocean." I accepted the package of fish with a smile and we turned basck towards the docks. "What exactly is your plan, if I may ask?"

I smiled grimly. "I'm going to row out a fair distance, summon this god of yours, and knock some sense into him."

Holland crossed his arms. "I'm coming too." I didn't pause.

"Absolutely not."

"But–"

"I said no. I know you're worried, but I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. I can take care of myself. Besides, if you're in the boat with me, I'll be distracted thinking about protecting you too." Holland's face was like a thundercloud – dark and threatening. I laughed and ruffled his hair. "Silly. You should worry more about yourself. What would I do if I let you get hurt?" I turned to look at Sam, who was clearly not paying attention. "That goes for you too, mister. You're staying here until I'm done." He nodded cheerfully and went back to interrogating the locals. I sighed. "Right. Let's do this."

"Princess, I believe a change of clothes is in order." I jumped at least a foot in the air.

"Jesus, Virgo! Don't scare me like that!" She cocked her head to the side, eyes sparkling eagerly.

"Punishment, princess?"

"No. Anyway, what were you saying about changing?"

Ten minutes later, I was wearing a bikini and sorely missing my sweats. "You know, I don't think–"

"The sweatpants will drag you down if you fall in the water, princess. It's dangerous."

Sam came back then and gasped. "Are you one of Lucy's spirits? That's so COOL. Which one are you? What's your name? Do you have any cool powers?"

Virgo regarded him quietly. "I dig holes."

Sam whooped. "SO COOL!" He was reminding me of someone, and I could not for the life of me think who. I shrugged and rolled my shoulders.

"Okay, Virgo, we're going." I got back into the rowboat Harry had vacated. Virgo got in after me, picking up the oars like that was what she had done every day of her existence. I pointed to a spot suitably far away from the town. "Can you take me there, Virgo?" She obliged willingly, rowing at an inhuman speed. In a matter of seconds, we had reached my chosen destination. Virgo bowed and flickered out. I took a deep breath and stood, feeling the boat rock unsteadily beneath me. Fishing out a box of matches Harman had given me, I lit a match and set it to an unwrapped undia fish. It caught, thankfully, and I dropped it into the dark water. It went out almost immediately, but instead of floating on the waves, it sank like a rock. I watched it go, and waited.

**Hee hee. Cliffhangers are so much fun. No, don't hate me. I'll update soon, but I needed to stop so I can do my homework. See, I have a legitimate reason. Anywaysies (not a word...), I'll update soon, promise. Be grateful I was so speedy this time. Oh, um, sorry for typos. My spellcheck is broken or something, and I was typing fast and I probably have some mistakes in there somewhere. I'm way too lazy to go back and look, so just bear with it. Sorry...**

**Oh, one more thing. I have Thanksgiving break next week – five and a half days of freedom. So you know all those oneshots I owe people? I'm gonna try to tackle some then. PM me if I promised you one and you really want it – I'll do yours first. Also, any requests you have for said oneshot are good, since I'll have to do some hardcore brainstorming unless you give me ideas. I'm a little inspiration-dead at the moment regarding new fics.**

**Yeah. I think that's pretty much it. Bye!**

**Giselle**


	17. Chapter 17

**The setbacks in writing this chapter were enormous. My piece-of-shit computer erased the first page or so and I had to rewrite it. IT SUCKED. SERIOUSLY SUCKED. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. But, with some encouragement from my friend Kosmotius, I redid it and finished the chapter. YOU'RE WELCOME. Show your appreciation by writing me reviews! Your reviews always make my day, so do it. Favorites and follows are also good.**

**Dedicated to nico2883 (thanks for the ideas!). Special thanks to Kosmotius, ShadowFiend06 (yes, that was kind of my reaction writing it too) Czar Ryno (I am completely susceptible to this sweet, sweet flattery), gwb620 (you're on my list!), WhiteWinterStar, rebma726, SlightlyOff7 (your review was saying all this stuff and I was like, huh? I did that? Are you really talking about me? but thank you so much for the compliments!), 4 Guests (idk if you're all the same person...), and SlightlyOff7 as a Guest! Ah, so many reviews! Yay!**

**Okay, just remember that last time Lucy was waiting for Oreanthus to show up... **

And waited, and waited. Half an hour later, I was still waiting. The townspeople who had gathered on the docks had long since dispersed, leaving only Harry and Harman waiting patiently. Next to them, Holland and Sam sat and stretched, yawning periodically. I was getting bored too. Finally, I decided it had gone on long enough and got to my feet carefully, cupping my hands around my mouth.

"YOU GOT YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUR DIVINE SALTINESS! TIME TO COME OUT AND PLAY!" I sucked in a replenishing breath and began counting down. _Ten, nine, eight..._ My borrowed rowboat rocked, almost pitching me into the suddenly turbulent ocean. The waves slapped at the sides of the boat, splashing into the growing puddle in the bottom. It occurred to me that a rowboat was really nothing more than a pile of wood designed for calm waters, not for confronting out-of-control sea gods.

_Seven, six, five..._ A rumbling noise similar to one an erupting volcano made (I speak from personal experience – it was not a fun job) surrounded me. I was tilting now, and each time the boat scooped up more water and sat lower in the water. I was forced to crouch to keep my balance. I could feel the seawater soaking my skin, and despite myself, I was grateful for Virgo's foresight. Trying to beat a sea monster in sweats and shoes would have been way harder than doing it in a swimsuit. Bracing myself, I put a hand on my keys.

_Four, three, two..._

_One._

The ocean shattered as an enormous serpentine creature emerged from the depths, sending a rainstorm of ocean water falling back down. I pushed back my sopping-wet hair and stared up at it in wonder. It was obvious now why the townspeople's ancestors had worshipped it as a god. The thing was deep green, the color of emeralds held in the darkness, and covered entirely in scales. The long diamond head ended with a snout, and as its mouth opened in an wrathful bellow, I saw that it had long snake fangs. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It had to be a drake, a rare species thought to be extinct centuries ago. I'd read about them in one of Levy's books. They had personalities like a dog's – loyal, friendly, playful – with one glaring exception. Drakes were slaves to routine, and any deviation from this routine sent them into a blind rage. They destroyed everything indiscriminately until someone calmed them down or killed them. Records of the former were rare, because it was nearly impossible. These rages were the reason drakes had become extinct. The only choice was to kill them, because no one could figure out how to calm them down. Even after one or two managed it once, the drakes just ended up getting set off again and had to be killed.

I sighed. At least I knew what I was dealing with. Behind me, I heard Holland yelling for me to run, get away from it, come back to the town. Sam, meanwhile, was shouting for me to kick its ass from here to the next continent. I chuckled and waved at them. Then I slid a key off my key ring and dipped it into the water, twisting it with a flick of my wrist. "Open, Gate of the Water-Bearer! Aquarius!" Her familiar scowl flickered into view, tail swishing. She tossed back her marine hair with a bored sigh.

"What is it now, Lucy?" I pointed at the drake behind her. It had noticed her, and was watching her with interest. Without warning, it lunged, its mouth a gaping black hole. Aquarius's scowl deepened and she sent a jet of water slamming into the side of its face. The drake flew ten yards, skipping over the water like a stone. Aquarius huffed and turned back to face me. "That's why you called me? Couldn't you have asked someone else? I was on a date." I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I just need you until that thing calms down. Think you could help me out?" She grunted and swung around to send another jet of water at the drake.

"As long as this doesn't take too long. I don't want to ruin my date. But I guess you wouldn't know what it's like to go on a date," she mocked.

Even in a life-or-death situation, I still managed to waste time thinking about Natsu. "No," I replied softly. "I wouldn't." Aquarius didn't say anything back, which in her case meant she regretted saying it. A volley of water spears shot from her jug and were deflected by the drake's scales. It bellowed and lunged again.

"Damn, this thing's persistent," she muttered to herself. She summoned up a column of water that appeared directly underneath it and shot it up into the sky. She held it there with one hand and glanced back at me. "Still hung up on him, huh?"

I stood stiffly, my knees tired from crouching all that time. "No, not hung up. Just holding on." I gestured at the water geyser. "You can let it down now. I'll handle it from here." Aquarius let the drake slam back into the ocean, never taking her eyes off me.

"Lucy–" I smiled.

"Have fun on your date." I twisted her key again, and she disappeared. I sighed and pinched my cheek. "Stop being a wuss," I told myself. "Face your fears."

Eyeballing the distance briefly, I leapt from the relative safety of my rowboat to the drake's neck as it began to struggle upward dazedly. The impact with the ocean had taken a lot out of it, but its eyes still glowed with buried fury. I clung to its thick scales for a moment before starting to climb up to its head. The drake roared and tried to shake me off, but I kept going, finding footholds in the tiny gaps and dents in the scales. Finally, I reached the crown of his head and sat to catch my breath. Then it bucked, and I nearly fell off. Another roar poured into the air, shaking the clouds.

I knocked my fist into the top of its head. "Shut it," I commanded. "Quit being such a baby. So you didn't get your breakfast one time. You're a big boy, aren't you? You can feed yourself. Don't punish the people who love you for one little mistake." The noise cut off. The drake seemed to be waiting for me to say something else. I kept going. "They depend on you, don't they? They need you to be there so they can share their joys and their sorrows with you. They miss having you on their side, you know. They want you to come back to them." I wasn't just talking to the drake anymore. "I understand how you feel, a little. He messed up, and now I'm making things worse. You couldn't go back if you tried, right? You're afraid things will be different." I paused, pondering that. Things would be different, no matter what I did. "Maybe things have to be different. History is doomed to repeat itself, or something like that." I laughed, even though I didn't really feel like it. It beat crying, at least. "I guess something has to change if this is going to work. I doubt you'll like it at first. Maybe not ever. But just see what happened when you tried to change it yourself. You hurt all the people you love." I rolled over onto my stomach and traced circles on a smooth scale. "You do love them, I'm sure of it. It's in your nature to love the ones who love you." I let out a tiny sigh, and with it a little bit of my confusion. "Let's go home, okay?"

NATSU

"Happy," I said into the comfortable afternoon silence.

"Yeah?"

"Is it my fault that Lucy left?" He looked down at me.

"Of course not. Why would you ask that?" I ran a hand through my hair, feeling restless. The thought had been in the back of my mind since I read her letter, and it had finally jostled its way to the front. Wasn't it really my fault that Lucy had left the guild?

"But after reading that letter..." I sighed, crossing my arms. "I don't know. This is all wrong."

"What was in that letter, anyway?" Happy asked curiously. "It seemed really important when she gave it to me, and then you just burned it. Did she ask you to?"

"No." _I love you. I'm glad I met you. Goodbye._ "She just spouted a lot of nonsense about leaving, and that this was 'for the best.'" I scowled. "It was stupid."

"Why?"

"Because leaving wasn't for the best! She just made everyone miserable, including herself." My fingers curled into fists.

"No, I meant why was she saying it was for the best?" I stiffened. That part was harder. I didn't want to think about it, let alone talk about it with someone. After a minute, Happy pointed out, "You know, if you can't answer her when you meet her in Cyprus, nothing will change."

I forced the words out. "She said she was in love with me."

He almost dropped me. "She said WHAT?"

I glared at him. "Is that wrong?" Happy made a face.

"Not wrong, just weird. I never thought Lucy was the type to fall in love with an idiot. I thought she'd go for the more intellectual type. Someone... cooler."

"What was that, asshole?"

Happy ignored me. "But that doesn't explain why she left. Wouldn't she want to stay where you were?"

_I need to get away from the love that's clawing through my skin, find a way to just be your friend._

My jaw clenched, and my fingers dug into my palms. "She said something about it being painful. She wanted to figure out how to just be my friend." I was spitting the words out with disgust. They tasted bitter in my mouth. "She said true love hurts. She said...loving someone who will never love you back is the worst of all."

"Was she wrong?" My fingers twitched. Wrong? About what? Happy seemed to be reading my mind, because he continued, "Was she wrong when she said you would never love her back?"

I opened my mouth to say something and realized I didn't know how to answer his question. Was she wrong to say that? Could I love her like she loved me? I didn't know how. How could I do that? I didn't even know what loving someone was like.

A memory tapped at the edges of my mind.

_"Natsu, have you ever been in love?"_

_"I don't know." _

_"Well, when you love someone, you want to see them all the time. And when you're around them, your heart feels strange, like someone's squeezing it. And you want them to depend on you and you alone, and you hate to see them getting along better with someone else. You want to hide them away and never let anyone else near them. But over all, you just want that person to be happy. So much that what you want doesn't matter anymore. That's what true love is. It's the best feeling in the world."_

She'd told me. Lucy had explained everything she felt to me. And like the idiot I was, I'd completely ignored her and crushed her feelings where they stood. I hadn't even stopped to consider what she was saying. Just like always, moving ahead and never pausing to think.

Well, I'd think now, so I could answer Lucy's question when I met her in Cyprus. What was the first thing she said? _When you love someone, you want to see them all the time._ Ugh, it was hard already. But I closed my eyes and forced myself to think. I definitely missed Lucy now that she was halfway across Fiore. Had I missed her when I knew she was just a few blocks away in her apartment? An image of myself sneaking into her apartment when I knew she wasn't around just to be surrounded by her things popped into my head. That hadn't been how I justified it to myself, of course, but that had been my real purpose. So yes, I wanted to see her all the time.

The next one... _When you're around them, your heart feels strange, like someone's squeezing it._ That was easy. It was the feeling I was trying to explain to Lucy before, when I said I felt weird around her. That one was true too.

_And you want them to depend on you and you alone, and you hate to see them getting along better with someone else. You want to hide them away and never let anyone else near them._ I could feel my face getting pinched. Happy asked if I had to go to the bathroom, but I tuned him out. I didn't really have experience with this one. Lucy and I had always gotten along well and I was closer to her than most people in Fairy Tail, so I'd never had a chance to get jealous. But thinking about it, if she and Gray started hanging out, that would seriously piss me off. If she asked him for help and not me... I would definitely kick his ass. But hide Lucy away? I got the feeling that if I tried to do that, she'd be really, really mad.

...Which led me to the last part. _But over all, you just want that person to be happy. So much that what you want doesn't matter anymore._ Of course I wanted Lucy to be happy. Would I give up on what I wanted for her if it meant making her unhappy? I didn't even have to think about it. I'd drop it in a heartbeat. If she wanted to hang out with Gray, I'd let her no matter how much it bothered me. If she didn't want to come back to the guild, then...

Then what? Could I let her go if it meant she would be happy?

Yes.

It was that simple.

LUCY

I got Oreanthus to bring me back to the town. He set me down on the dock and then dove back into the ocean. I watched him go silently, amidst the laughing, crying townspeople. It was a heavy thing, a mistake. It was heavier when you were the one making it.

"LUCY, THAT WAS SO COOL! YOU TOTALLY CALMED THAT GIANT THING DOWN WITH JUST WATER AND YOUR WORDS! YOU GOTTA SHOW ME HOW TO DO THAT! COOL! SOOOOO COOOOL!" Sam bent over, gasping for breath. "Cool... So cool..."

Something in my head clicked and I pointed at him in surprise. "Oh! Are you, by chance, related to Jason the reporter, from Sorcerer Weekly?" Sam looked up and beamed.

"You know my dad! That's so COOL!" I laughed.

"Like father, like son, I guess."

On my other side, Holland was frowning, arms crossed. "Lucy, what was going on out there? Why did you release that Celestial Spirit in the middle of the fight? And what were you saying to that thing?" I flicked his forehead. The frown lines disappeared as he blinked in surprise. "What?"

I grinned. "Don't make such a face, silly. You'll get wrinkles before you're thirty." He let out a breath, just staring up at me, waiting for his answers. My smile faded a little. "You really want to know?" Holland nodded. I pushed back my hair. "Have you heard of drakes?" He nodded again. "They have a certain flaw, and when you make them mad, it's almost impossible to calm them down again. They were thought to be extinct. I let Aquarius go because if she'd kept going, she would have killed it. And," I added as an afterthought, "Because she was in the middle of a date. Or so she said. It seems like she's always on a date." I laughed softly. "But I doubt you were curious about that. What else was it you wanted to know?"

"What did you say to it? You just said they were almost impossible to calm down." I stared at the surface of the now-smooth ocean. It had calmed, but it would be be rough again soon enough.

"I just talked to it. We all make mistakes, you know. I could sympathize." The crowd started moving in the direction of the town, and I glanced up. "Oh, I have to do something. You and Sam wait here, I'll be done in a sec." Without waiting for his reply, I jogged after Harry. "Hey!"

He stopped and turned, grinning ear to ear. "Lucy!" He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes earnestly. "I don't know how we can thank you enough for what you've done." I smiled.

"It's fine, really. Just the promised reward is great. But I need to talk to your grandfather about what comes after this." Harry pointed to a building at the end of the row.

"He should be in there. While you talk to him, I will see that your reward is prepared." He bowed and walked away, talking animatedly to a young woman. I followed his directions and entered the building. It was a one-room, one-floor house that seemed to be the meeting spot of the town leaders. Harman sat with two other men and three women on a thick rug. I knocked gently on the doorframe.

"Um, excuse me..." They all looked up, their wrinkled faces breaking into wide smiles.

"Ah, Lucy. How can I help you? Are you here for you reward money?" I shook my head.

"No, it's fine, Harry said he was gathering it. I needed to talk to you about what you'll do after this." I sat on the edge of the rug, folding my legs underneath me. The leaders shifted to face me. "I don't know if you're aware, but the sea serpent you've been worshipping is a drake, a rare species that was declared extinct several hundred years." Judging by the shocked gasps, I was guessing they hadn't known. "Drakes are highly obsessive about routine. This one was enraged because you broke the routine you had settled into. The best option at this point would be to cut off all contact with it–" I held up a hand as protests broke out and waited for the voices to die down. "However, I understand that worshipping Oreanthus is important to your people, so I have a suggestion. As long as you make your days of worship completely random, that should keep Oreanthus from falling into a pattern and his rage should stay dormant. You'll have to be extremely careful, but you will still be able to rely on him."

Harman nodded. "This seems a wise proposal to me. Are there any who are against this suggestion?" It was perfectly silent, as if the leaders were afraid they might be seen as dissenters if they made a sound. Harman smiled. "Then we will gladly follow your advice. Thank you for all of your help. We cannot fully express how grateful we are." The six men and women bowed their heads as I stood.

"Don't be silly. It's all part of the job."

Holland and Sam were waiting at the dock just as I had told them, but now Harry and what seemed to be the rest of the town were standing there with them. As I approached, they broke into cheers and whistles. I smiled and shook hands and hugged little girls. One old man even had me sign my name and guild on his biceps in a special magic ink that would never wash off. "Lucy... of Fairy Tail." He peered up at me. "Oh, no wonder, if you're from that guild. We shouldn't have been surprised that you could help us!" I laughed modestly (at least, I did my best – what does a modest laugh even sound like?) and continued on to where Harry and the kids were waiting in a rowboat. With a last wave, I got in. Harry handed me a wad of bills and then picked up the oars and started rowing us out.

"Fifty-thousand jewel," he said. "As thanks." My eyes widened.

"The promised amount was only thirty-thousand! I can't accept this." Harry shook his head.

"Thirty-thousand was too little for a job like that. We didn't realize when we sent in the request, but you earned that money. Please take it." I sighed.

"If you insist. At least now I don't have to worry about paying a week's worth of rent."

"Why only a week?" Holland asked. "Is your rent that expensive?" I realized that I hadn't told Holland or Sam that I was only staying a week after all. Now that he was asking, I didn't know how to say it.

"Actually, a friend's coming to pick me up. So, um, it turns out I'm only staying for this week. Then I'll be going back home, to Magnolia." Saying the words was painful and comforting at the same time. On the one hand, calling Natsu a friend opened wounds that I preferred closed, but on the other, if he actually made it in a week, I'd be going back home with him. Home to Magnolia. Home to Fairy Tail. "Except, the change of plans was kinda sudden, so if he doesn't make it by the end of the week, I'm going on to the next town."

"Can't you stay?" I glanced down, surprised. Holland was staring at me with pleading eyes. "I mean, if it takes him longer, couldn't you hang out in Cyprus a few more days? If money's a problem, you could–"

"That's sweet." I took a breath. "But that wasn't part of the deal. He got a week, and now he has to hold up his end of the deal. If he can't make it in a week, then I'm moving on. I won't go back." Red crept into Holland's cheeks. Just as he was about to say something, though, we bumped against the sandy beach.

"We're here," Harry announced unnecessarily. Holland's jaw clenched. He'd almost caught the tail of my gentle half-truths, but not quite. If I could help it, he never would, and I wouldn't have to cross that bridge.

_Time to get your game face back on, Lucy._

**What'd you think? I might not post a new chapter for a bit cuz I'm gonna get working on the one-shots I promised people once upon a time... But you'll manage. Remember to review, favorite, and follow.**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**


End file.
